MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula says Trump wants to “create a new UN” as he attacks proposed Gaza Peace Council

Lula spoke at the closing session of the 14th National Meeting of Brazil’s Landless Workers’ Movement (MST) in Salvador, Bahia

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Friday that global politics is entering a critical phase in which “multilateralism is being thrown out by unilateralism,” and argued that US President Donald Trump is effectively proposing “to create a new UN in which he alone is the owner,” referring to Washington’s plan to set up a Peace Council tied to the administration of Gaza.

Lula spoke at the closing session of the 14th National Meeting of Brazil’s Landless Workers’ Movement (MST) in Salvador, Bahia. He said the UN Charter was being “torn up” and reiterated Brazil’s long-standing call for UN reform—specifically, expanding permanent membership of the Security Council to include countries such as Brazil and Mexico, as well as African nations.

The White House said Trump invited Lula to join the Peace Council, which—according to Washington—will supervise the work of a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG). Trump has floated a “Board/Peace Council” concept to support an interim Gaza administration committee, with invitations also directed to other international leaders.

In his remarks, Lula said he had been calling several leaders—including China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, India’s Narendra Modi and Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum—seeking a way to prevent multilateralism from being “knocked to the ground” and to avoid a return to politics dominated by “the force of weapons” and intolerance.

Lula also condemned the recent US action in Venezuela that led to the capture of ruller Nicolás Maduro, questioning what he portrayed as a violation of territorial integrity. Maduro was seized in a US military operation and that the move drew condemnation from some international leaders.

The MST delivered a letter to Lula that denounced “imperialism” and cited the Venezuela operation as an attack on sovereignty, while warning that such moves can be driven by the “plunder” of natural resources including oil, minerals, rare earths, water and forests.

For now, the Trump administration has not publicly provided detailed parameters for the Peace Council—its membership, mandate or timeline—beyond linking it to the proposed Gaza administrative structure.