UN Secretary-General Guterres tries to justify his visit to Putin at the BRICS summit
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres tried to justify his visit to the BRICS summit in Russia, noting that during the meeting with Vladimir Putin he emphasized the need to ensure a just peace in Ukraine and support the values of the UN Charter. That’s what he’s about reported on his page in X (Twitter).
“At the BRICS session, I called for a just peace in Ukraine in accordance with the UN Charter, international law and resolutions of the General Assembly. I emphasized that everywhere we must adhere to the values of the UN Charter, the rule of law and the principles of sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of states“, Guterres wrote.
He also stated that during the conversation with Putin, he noted that “the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a violation of the UN Charter and international law.” He also expressed his “strong support” for an agreement on safe navigation in the Black Sea, which he said was key to global food security.
Guterres’ visit to Russia caused outrage in Ukrainian diplomatic circles. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine sharply criticized the Secretary General for his visit at the invitation of Putin, stressing that in the summer Guterres refused to participate in the Ukrainian Peace Summit in Switzerland. Western diplomats also joined in the criticism. Former US Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker noted that Guterres is undermining his authority in solving peace issues in Ukraine by appearing at the BRICS summit but ignoring the peace summit.
Bundestag deputy Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmerman was even more harsh, saying that the UN under Guterres had become a “shameful and ineffective shadow of its former self.”
