In a recent statement, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his decision to attend the upcoming BRICS summit, hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, instead of participating in a peace summit focused on the Ukraine conflict.
According to a Reuters report, the Ukrainian government took to social media platform X to express their discontent, stating, “The Secretary-General declined our invitation to attend the inaugural global peace summit in Switzerland.” They further remarked, “However, his acceptance of an invitation from war criminal Putin to go to Kazan is a misguided choice that will not advance the cause of peace and will only tarnish the reputation of the UN.”
Putin’s BRICS summit, set to take place tomorrow in Kazan, Russia, aims to highlight the influence of non-Western nations. Key attendees include Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Ministry spokespersons indicated that Guterres had informed Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the UN General Assembly last month of his intention to attend the summit in Kazan.
When asked about Guterres’ attendance, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq stated, “Announcements regarding his future schedule will be made later.”
The peace summit, occurring in June at a resort in the Swiss Alps, brought together representatives from over 90 countries to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and seek solutions to end the conflict. Russia was not invited and deemed the event pointless.
