UN Secretary General António Guterres (left) was seen shaking hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazan on Thursday
Published October 26, 2024
Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected a visit to Ukraine by UN Secretary General António Guterres over his trip to Russia, a source in the presidential office has told the BBC.
After attending a Brics summit in the Russian city of Kazan this week, Guterres had wanted to visit Kyiv, the BBC understands.
“The president did not confirm his visit,” the source told the BBC. “After Kazan and after he shook hands with the war’s instigator and spent UN Day on the territory of the aggressor country, it would be somehow strange to host him here.”
Guterres’ visit to Russia – who launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 – was met with dismay across Ukraine.
During his visit, Guterres called for a “just peace” in Ukraine and reiterated his position to Putin that Russia’s invasion of the country was in “violation of the United Nations Charter and international law”.
In a statement ahead of Guterres’ visit to Kazan, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said: “This is a wrong choice that does not advance the cause of peace. It only damages the UN’s reputation.”
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SOURCE: www.bbc.com
RELATED: Zelensky rejects UN chief’s visit to Kyiv over Russia trip: Ukraine presidency source
This handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Presidential press service shows President Volodymyr Zelensky speaking during the awarding ceremony for soldiers in Kyiv on 22 April 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Handout / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / AFP
Published October 26, 2024
President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected a visit to Ukraine by Antonio Guterres over the UN chief’s participation in a summit hosted in Russia, a high-ranking source in the Ukrainian presidency told AFP on Friday.
At the BRICS summit hosted by Russia in the city of Kazan, Guterres pleaded on Thursday for a “just peace” in Ukraine, calling in a speech in front of Russian President Vladimir Putin for an end to more than two years of fighting.
But his participation at the meeting of 20 global leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi — the largest diplomatic event in Russia since Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 — sparked ire in Kyiv.
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SOURCE: www.dailytribune.net.ph
