Kuala Lumpur (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticised the United Nations and other multilateral institutions on Saturday, claiming they “stopped working” and did not save Gaza’s war victims.
Lula spoke following his meeting with Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur, before a major regional summit where he is expected to meet US President Donald Trump, AFP reported.
How did Lula accuse the UN of failing Gaza?
“Who can accept the genocide that has been going on in the Gaza Strip for so long?”
Lula told journalists after the bilateral discussion that the goal was to strengthen the relationship between the two nations.
“The multilateral institutions that were created to try to prevent these things from happening have stopped working. Today, the UN Security Council and the UN no longer function,”
Lula stated.
He also appeared to take a swipe at Trump, saying,
“for a leader, walking with their head held high is more important than a Nobel Prize.”
What was Lula’s statement regarding genocide in the Gaza Strip at the UN address?
In September, the Brazilian president spoke at the UN General Assembly, describing a “genocide” unfolding in Gaza. He cautioned that the massacre
“would not have happened without the complicity of those who can prevent it.”
The Brazilian leader stressed that the
“Palestinian people are at risk of disappearing” and will only survive “with an independent” state.”
He stated that tens of thousands of Palestinian children are buried beneath the rubble in Gaza, which he described as also burying “international” law.”
How have Trump’s tariffs strained relations with Brazil?
As reported, relations had been strained since Trump increased tariffs to 50% on certain Brazilian imports this summer, responding to the trial of Lula’s predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted of plotting a military coup. Meanwhile, Trump and Lula have started to reconcile after months of hostility regarding the trial and conviction of Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right former Brazilian president and Trump’s ally.
Trump has implemented a 50% tariff on numerous Brazilian products and sanctioned several high-ranking officials, including a Supreme Court judge, to retaliate against Brazil for what he described as a “witch hunt” against Bolsonaro.
In September, Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for his involvement in a failed coup attempt following his 2022 election defeat to Lula. Relations between Trump and Lula started to improve when the two 79-year-old leaders had a short meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September. They subsequently spoke by phone on October 6, during which they initially discussed the idea of meeting at the ASEAN summit.
