Ukraine is seething over the fact that United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was in Kazan, Russia this week for the major BRICS summit, where he was seen getting chummy with leaders like Presidents Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko.
A smiling Guterres was photographed shaking hands with Putin during the ‘family photo’ ceremony, and actually at one point hugged Belarusian strongman Lukashenko.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has subsequently blasted the UN chief for the warm embrace of Ukraine’s ‘enemies’.
An official close to Zelensky has described to Politico that Guterres “shook hands with him [Putin]. He smiled. He was asked to come to promote the BRICS summit even more. He was used by them, and he seemed happy to be used.”
Ukraine has reportedly informed Guterres that he will no longer be hosted in Kiev on visits. “Even if some officials prefer the allure of Kazan over the substance of the U.N. Charter, our world is structured so that the rights of nations and international legal norms matter, and will continue to matter,” said Zelensky in a Thursday night address.
And an official Ukrainian Foreign Ministry statement also slammed the UN chief: “The UN Secretary General declined Ukraine’s invitation to the first global peace summit in Switzerland. He did, however, accept the invitation to Kazan from war criminal Putin,” a message posted on X stated.
“This is a wrong choice that does not advance the cause of peace. It only damages the UN’s reputation,” the statement added.
Staunch supporters of Kiev also lashed out at Guterres, with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis in a statement strongly hinting he should step down from his post.
“Guterres must admit that he was wrong and take responsibility, both when he decided not to go to the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland and now, when he went to see the wanted war criminal Putin and grovelled with both him and his accomplice Lukashenko,” the Lithuanian top diplomat said.
“Guterres is no longer accepted as an honest broker, and if he decides to resign, we would certainly not be the ones to discourage him from doing so.”
The below moment also greatly outraged supporters of Ukraine…
It’s not over yet.
The friend of the dictators and part-time UN Secretary General first bowed to putin, then hugged Lukashenka passionately and thanked him for the “gifts”.If this scum still has his job as Secretary General tomorrow – who will still believe in the UN? pic.twitter.com/RhDyvho60r
— Jürgen Nauditt 🇩🇪🇺🇦 (@jurgen_nauditt) October 24, 2024
The whole controversy comes at a moment of increasing chatter among diplomats over the need to find a negotiated settlement to the Ukraine war. Kiev fears that this will result in Ukraine permanently losing a huge chunk of its territory in the east, which Russian forces have captured.
The UN and Guterres’ office framed his whole visit to the BRICS meeting and interactions with Putin as an “operational necessity” and part of diplomacy and peace-keeping.
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