KAZAN: Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will meet UN secretary general Antonio Guterres Thursday to discuss the Ukraine conflict, in the UN chief’s first trip to Russia in more than two years, the Kremlin said. The meeting will take place on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in the central Russian city of Kazan.
“It is expected that along with the activities of the UN, they will touch upon topical issues on the international agenda, including the West Asia crisis and the situation around Ukraine,” the Kremlin said.The UN did not confirm the planned meeting, and Ukraine strongly criticised Guterres decision to meet Putin.
Asked at a briefing in New York whether Guterres was intending to travel to Kazan later this week, his deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters: “Announcements on his future travels will be later on down the line.”
Guterres has repeatedly criticised Moscow’s military offensive on Ukraine and said it sets a “dangerous precedent” for the world, but Ukraine’s foreign ministry said meeting Putin now “does not advance the cause of peace” and “damages the UN’s reputation”. “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,” the ministry posted on X.
Guterres has called for a “just peace” that respects international law and Ukraine’s “territorial integrity”. During his last visit in April 2022, Guterres had discussed with Putin proposals for humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones, according to a UN readout.
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