Brazil's Lula: World held hostage by UN Security Council paralysis

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, from Brazil, reiterated his support for a peace initiative he started with China aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine during his opening remarks at the United Nations General Assembly. He aimed thinly veiled criticisms at the United States, discussing tariffs, military pressure, and access to critical minerals.

Lula described the war as a five-year humanitarian tragedy, emphasizing that 'diplomacy is the only option'. He introduced a peace initiative, the 'Group of Friends for Peace', which was created by Brazil and China. The group gathered representatives from 17 developing countries to promote a negotiated settlement. Lula criticized the UN's credibility, stating that 'war is not the continuation of politics by other means.

It is the total bankruptcy of politics'. He also took aim at US foreign policy, stating that 'Brazil does not fit in anyone's backyard' and rejected foreign military involvement in fighting organized crime. He proposed a deal he had personally offered to US President Donald Trump for cooperation against arms trafficking and money laundering by Brazilian criminal groups.

Lula emphasized that Brazil holds critical minerals and rare earths, needed for the energy transition, and any foreign access to these resources should come with mandatory conditions such as generating value in Brazil, transferring technology, and supplying strategic sectors. Earlier this year, Lula signed a national critical minerals policy into law, offering incentives for domestic processing and creating a council to oversee changes in mining companies and international agreements involving strategic minerals.

This policy has become a significant campaign issue since the US-based USA Rare Earth bought Serra Verde, Brazil's only commercial rare earths mine, for approximately $2.8 billion.