Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sharply criticized US President Donald Trump’s initiative to create a new global organization called the Peace Council. According to Lula, this is an attempt to replace the United Nations (UN) and centralize power in the hands of the United States. “Instead of reforming the UN, President Trump is proposing to create a new UN where he is the sole owner,” Lula said during his speech on Friday.
- Lula criticizes Trump’s proposal for a new global organization.
- Trump introduced the Peace Council, which was supported by 19 countries.
- France and Britain did not join the Peace Council.
- Lula defends the importance of the UN for conflict resolution.
- The project faces criticism and questions about its legitimacy and future.
Trump introduced the Peace Council at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he was joined by leaders and representatives of the 19 countries that signed the organization’s founding charter. This new institution is supposed to have a permanent headquarters, which would cost one billion dollars to build, and Trump himself would become its chairman. However, Lula warned that such a move could lead to the weakening of multilateralism and the enforcement of the “law of the jungle” in international relations.
Criticism of US allies
Lula is not the only world leader to express doubts about Trump’s initiative. Key US allies such as France and Britain refused to join the Peace Council. London justified its non-participation mainly by inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country has been involved in the military conflict in Ukraine since 2022. France, on the other hand, called the current wording of the Peace Council’s charter “incompatible” with its international obligations, especially with its membership in the United Nations.
According to available information, the Peace Council was originally supposed to oversee the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, but its charter indicates broader ambitions that could rival the UN. In his speech, Lula emphasized that such a move could “tear the UN Charter to pieces” and destabilize the global order.
Supporting the UN as a foundation
At the same time, the Brazilian president defended the importance of the UN as a central body for solving international conflicts. On Thursday, he spoke by phone with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with whom he agreed on the need to protect the UN’s role in global affairs. Both leaders expressed concern that Trump’s initiative could lead to the division of the international community and the weakening of existing multilateral structures.
Trump’s Peace Council thus faces not only criticism from traditional allies, but also questions about its legitimacy and potential impact on global politics. Although some countries have supported its creation, opposition from major players suggests that the road to its recognition will be complicated.
