Lula rebukes Trump, UN for prioritizing arms over hunger – Valor International
Amid escalating attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, President Lula on Wednesday (4) criticized U.S. President Donald Trump and the United Nations (UN) for prioritizing increased military spending and armed conflict. The Brazilian leader argued that the institution is giving in to the “fatalism” of war and leaving no room for “men of peace.”
He said, “If those gentlemen who coordinate the Security Council were concerned about hunger instead of discussing, as is now being discussed in Europe, strengthening countries’ armaments and investing in defense,” hunger could be addressed worldwide.
The remarks were made during the opening ceremony of the 39th session of the UN Regional Conference on Agriculture and Food (FAO, its English acronym) for Latin America and the Caribbean, held at the Itamaraty Palace.
While praising the FAO’s work, Lula said the UN is becoming “discredited.” According to him, the organization is failing to fulfill the commitments set out in its 1945 founding charter. “Why hasn’t the UN convened a global conference to discuss these conflicts yet?” the president asked.
The Brazilian leader has criticized the UN Security Council since his first term in office and has long advocated reform to give more countries a voice. Brazil also seeks a permanent seat on the council.
Even after the attacks on Iran, Lula had avoided directly criticizing Trump because of the relationship the two have built in recent months. Within the Brazilian government, the view was that openly criticizing the U.S. position could harm dialogue between the countries. However, on Wednesday, he made a point of criticizing the American leader’s remarks about U.S. military capabilities.
“Do you think it’s normal for President Trump to keep saying every day: ‘I have the biggest ship in the world. I have the biggest army in the world’? Why doesn’t he say: ‘I have the greatest production capacity in the world’? Wouldn’t that be much simpler? And wouldn’t it sound better to our ears?” the leftist leader said.
The president questions the absence of a global conference to discuss conflicts
He also renewed criticism of the Peace Council created this year by Trump to rebuild the Gaza Strip. According to Lula, the initiative “looks like a resort for millionaires to spend their holidays where there are corpses.” The proposed body would serve as a kind of international organization focused on the issue.
In what seemed to be a subtle criticism of the United States, Lula also said that Cuba’s population suffers from hunger because the country is blocked from accessing what rightfully belongs to it. “The important people on the planet who should be concerned about hunger are concerned about war. Believe it or not, Cuba is not going hungry because it does not know how to produce. Cuba is not going hungry because it does not know how to generate its own energy,” he said. “Cuba is going hungry because they do not want Cuba to have certain things that everyone should have the right to.”
According to the president, the resources currently allocated to expanding arsenals in conflict zones could be used to give $4,285 to each of the roughly 630 million people facing hunger worldwide. “Do you see that there would be no hunger in the world if governments showed common sense?” he asked. “Those who should be worried about hunger are worried about war,” the president added.
Lula also criticized the increase in defense spending, arguing that such expenses do not help food production and may even cause crop damage and lower supply. “We will only end hunger with political determination,” he said.
After Wednesday’s event, the Brazilian president called Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to discuss the escalation of tensions in the Middle East. During the conversation, the two leaders emphasized ending the conflict and moving forward with peace negotiations.
This article was translated from Valor Econômico using an artificial intelligence tool under the supervision of the Valor International editorial team to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to our editorial standards. Read our Editorial Principles.
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