Doctors say Brazil's Lula is recovering after surgery for a brain bleed

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is recovering in an intensive care unit after undergoing unplanned surgery for a brain bleed, doctors said Tuesday.

The procedure was performed after the 79-year-old leftist leader suffered complications resulting from a fall at home in October, doctors said.

“He is in a stable condition, talking normally and eating. He will remain under observation for the next few days,” Dr. Roberto Kalil with the Sirio-Libanes hospital in Sao Paulo told a press conference.

There will be no aftereffects, doctors said, adding that Lula expected to return to the capital, Brasilia, at the beginning of next week. Until then, he will not be working, they said.

Lula traveled from Brasilia in the early hours Tuesday to be treated in Sao Paulo, 1,000 kilometers south (620 miles). Doctors said the first lady was at his side and the president had no other visitors.

Lula canceled a trip to Russia for a BRICS summit after the accident, his office said at the time. It left him with a cut visible on the back of his head, slightly above his neck.

Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa sent his best wishes for a full and speedy recovery, according to a statement. Colombia's President Gustavo Petro posted his wishes on X, calling Lula a “comrade.”

The White House also sent its best wishes. President Joe Biden and Lula saw each other in November during the Group of 20 economic summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.

Physician Roberto Kalil from the Sirio-Libanes Hospital gives a news conference about the health of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who is receiving treatment in Sao Paulo, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

The main entrance of the Sirio-Libanes hospital where Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is receiving medical treatment in Sao Paulo, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

The back of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's head shows stitches resulting from a fall, during an event at Planalto Presidential Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)