ISTANBUL

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday criticized US President Donald Trump for frequently highlighting the size of the US military, arguing that global resources should instead be directed toward addressing hunger and poverty.

“Do you think it’s normal for President Trump to keep saying every day: ‘I have the biggest ship in the world. I have the biggest army in the world’?” Lula said. “Why doesn’t he say: ‘I have the greatest production capacity in the world’? Wouldn’t that be much simpler? And wouldn’t it sound better to our ears?”

Lula said money currently spent expanding military arsenals in conflict zones could instead be used to address global hunger. According to the Brazilian president, those funds could provide about $4,285 to each of the nearly 630 million people worldwide who suffer from hunger.

“Do you see that there would be no hunger in the world if governments showed common sense?” he said. “Those who should be worried about hunger are worried about war,” the president added.

He said global military spending could end hunger, provide clean water to every village, and ensure all children attend school, but resources are instead being used to develop more destructive weapons.

Lula also criticized the UN Security Council for prioritizing higher military spending and armed conflicts instead of focusing on global welfare.

“If those gentlemen who coordinate the Security Council were concerned about hunger instead of discussing, as is now being discussed in Europe, strengthening countries’ armaments and investing in defense, hunger could be addressed worldwide,” he said.