The president began his three-country European trip in Spain on Saturday (Apr. 18). He then traveled to Germany and later to Portugal.
“Trump invades Iran, and consequently one sees an increase in the price of beans in Brazil, corn in Mexico, and gasoline in other countries. Are the poor going to pay for the irresponsibility of wars that nobody wants?” he asked.
Lula emphasized that countries have other problems to face and the world “does not need war.”
“We have more than 760 million people going hungry, we have millions of illiterate people, and millions of people died because there was no vaccine against COVID-19,” he added.
Lula noted that the world is currently experiencing the highest number of armed conflicts since World War II and called for coordinated action by the United Nations (UN).
“We must demand that the UN Secretary-General convene special meetings, even without a request from the five Security Council members,” he said.
The president criticized some of the major ongoing wars, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Israel’s destruction of the Gaza Strip, and the US-Iran conflict in the Middle East.
“No president of any country in the world, no matter how powerful, has the right to impose rules on other countries. None. And the five members of the UN Security Council must come together to change this behavior. We cannot wake up every morning and go to sleep every night with a president’s tweet threatening the world and waging war. And they all make decisions without consulting the UN, of which they are members and part of its Security Council,” Lula continued.
The Brazilian president lamented the silence of countries and stressed that democracy at the United Nations depends on their engagement. “Strengthening multilateralism depends on us.”
In his speech, Lula also criticized the role of digital platforms in the political destabilization of countries and called on the UN itself to lead discussions on shared rules among nations.
“The plain and simple truth is that lies have triumphed over truth. That is a hard fact. To lie, you don’t have to explain yourself; to justify yourself, you do,” he said.
Lula also called on the UN to take action regarding social media platforms.
“It needs to function to ensure, for example, that social media platforms are regulated worldwide, for everyone. A president cannot interfere in one country’s election, interfere in another’s, or ask for votes for another. Where is electoral sovereignty? Where is territorial sovereignty? This is an issue we need to discuss and make our voices heard on. And the arena where we must fight is the United Nations,” Lula added.
The Democracy Forever Forum is an initiative launched in 2024 by the governments of Brazil, Spain, Colombia, Chile, and Uruguay. In Barcelona, the event, organized by Spanish President Pedro Sánchez, also featured Presidents Yamandú Orsi (Uruguay), Gustavo Petro (Colombia), Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa), Claudia Sheinbaum (Mexico), and former Chilean President Gabriel Boric.
“We continue to resist because our territories remain under attack and our bodies remain targets. We need our territories demarcated and protected. Without demarcation, there is no life, no culture, no future. Territory is where we plant, where we pray, where we bury our ancestors, and where our children grow up,” the organization said on social media.
“We need them to stop violating our bodies and territories. Illegal mining, logging, invasions, harassment, and femicide: none of this is tradition. Violence is not culture. Demarcation is reparation. There is no sovereignty or democracy without demarcated territory.”
The Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB) emphasized that the destruction of indigenous territories has a direct impact on the balance of the Amazon, as evidenced by extreme droughts, wildfires, and environmental degradation.
“Indigenous territories are under constant attack from illegal mining, deforestation, land grabbing, and large-scale projects encroaching on the Amazon, invading lands that should be protected. This is not an isolated conflict, but rather an ongoing project of exploitation of our territories,” the organization posted on social media.
Amnesty International also spoke out on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, calling for urgent action on land restitution and demarcation.
“Demarcating lands, protecting communities, and respecting ways of life that keep ancestral cultures, knowledge, and technologies alive are not merely matters of historical redress. It is about securing the future. When these rights are violated, it is not just the past that is lost; the possibility of tomorrow is also lost.”
Amnesty International emphasized indigenous peoples protect about 80 percent of global biodiversity, according to the United Nations (UN). “The answer to the current crisis already exists, and it comes from those who have always been here. Defending the rights of indigenous peoples is defending human rights.”
During a visit to Germany, Lula spoke at the opening of the world’s largest industrial fair, Hannover Messe. He again criticized the effects of the war waged by the United States and Israel against Iran, which he described as “madness.”
Accompanied by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as well as government representatives and business leaders from both countries, Lula argued that it is necessary to counter “false narratives” about the sustainability of Brazilian agriculture. He was applauded several times during his speech.
“Creating additional barriers to access for biofuels is counterproductive, both environmentally and from an energy perspective,” Lula noted.
The president said that in 2026 Brazil will launch a “robust program” prioritizing the green economy and Industry 4.0, at a critical moment in global geopolitics marked by paradoxes.
“Artificial intelligence makes us more productive, but it is also used to select military targets without legal or moral parameters,” he added.
Regarding the labor market, Lula said the country has the lowest unemployment rate in its history and that he supports ending the six-day workweek, reducing working hours to guarantee two days of rest.
Lula urged business leaders and researchers to consider the global impact on workers as artificial intelligence technologies evolve.
“If artificial intelligence delivers the benefits we seek, we must remember that behind every invention there is a human being. If people have no place in the job market, the world will only get worse,” he pointed out.
Later in his speech, Lula stated that Brazil is among the countries least affected by “the madness of the war with Iran.” He added that the government has taken domestic measures to minimize the impact, given that the country imports about 30 percent of the diesel it consumes.
The president also condemned global inequality, noting that USD 2.7 trillion is spent on wars. He called on the permanent members of the UN Security Council to take responsibility for addressing this reality. The Council has five permanent members: the United States, China, Russia, France, and the United Kingdom.
Lula drew renewed applause when he reaffirmed Brazil’s commitment to achieving zero deforestation in the Amazon by 2030. “Over the past three years, we have reduced deforestation in the Amazon by 50 percent and in the Cerrado by 32 percent.”
The president emphasized that Brazil prioritizes sustainability in the fuel sector. “We have already adopted a 30 percent ethanol blend in gasoline and a 15 percent biodiesel blend. We produce biofuels sustainably, without compromising food production or clearing forests,” he explained.
He also highlighted that 90 percent of Brazil’s electricity comes from clean sources and that the country has the potential to produce the world’s cheapest green hydrogen.
Lula mentioned the potential for increased mining of critical minerals to support decarbonization and digital transformation. “With only 30 percent of our mineral potential mapped, our country already has the world’s largest reserves of niobium, the second-largest reserves of graphite and rare earth elements, and the third-largest reserves of nickel.”
He stressed that he does not see Brazil as a “mere exporter” of minerals, but instead seeks international partnerships that include technology transfer.
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