Summary
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticized the United Nations for its inability to act against the ongoing violence in Gaza, calling the organization and its Security Council “non-functional.” His remarks came during a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim ahead of a regional summit where he is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump.
President Lula said the world cannot remain silent over the suffering in Gaza and blamed the breakdown of global institutions for their inaction. “Who can accept the genocide that has been going on in the Gaza Strip for so long?” he asked, emphasizing that multilateral bodies like the UN were created to prevent such tragedies but have now “stopped working.”
Lula also appeared to take a veiled swipe at Trump, stating, “For a leader, walking with their head held high is more important than a Nobel Prize.”
The remarks come as Trump begins an Asia tour that includes meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and participation in a peace deal signing between Thailand and Cambodia. Relations between Lula and Trump, strained over the imprisonment of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, have recently shown signs of improvement following meetings at the UN General Assembly and a follow-up phone call earlier this month.