During his visit to the BRICS summit in Russia, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a speech in which he again called for peace in Ukraine, emphasizing the need to achieve it on the basis of the UN Charter.
In his speech, Guterres noted that the world must be fair, respecting international law and relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly. In addition to the topic of Ukraine, the Secretary General also touched upon other global conflicts, such as the situation in the Middle East, Gaza, Lebanon and Sudan.
During the summit, Guterres met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. The visit was the first in two years since Guterres had avoided traveling to Russia since the outbreak of a full-scale war in Ukraine.
This decision drew criticism from the Ukrainian authorities. However, UN spokesman Farhan Haq said the visit was part of standard diplomatic practice of attending multilateral meetings involving important member states such as the BRICS countries, which represent almost half the world’s population.
An interesting moment occurred when Russian President Vladimir Putin, concluding the Secretary General’s speech, compared the modern world to one big family, where disputes, conflicts and even fights can arise. However, Putin stressed that one of the main goals of the BRICS countries is to create a “favorable atmosphere” for everyone. In addition, a photo was published showing Guterres bending low during the summit to greet the Kremlin dictator.
At the same summit, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko met with António Guterres and presented him with a sculpture of a stork – a symbol of peace. Lukashenko expressed full support for Guterres’ position on the international agenda, especially regarding the situation in the Middle East. The President of Belarus also confirmed that his country will always advocate the peaceful resolution of conflicts and support efforts to achieve global peace.
Kursor also talked about how Lavrov and propagandists were disgraced at the BRICS summit.