António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, emphasized “Ukraine needs peace” in front of Russian President Vladimir Putin, AFP reported.
Guterres attended the BRICS Plus/Outreach event at the BRICS summit held in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, yesterday (24th local time), and stated, “Ukraine needs a just peace in accordance with the UN Charter, international law, and UN General Assembly resolutions.”
In response to this remark, President Putin smiled and said, “The Secretary-General said we should all live like one big family, but unfortunately, families often have disputes and chaos, division of property, and sometimes even fights.” This suggests that the conflict in Ukraine was inevitable.
Guterres also called for peace in the Middle East, saying, “Just as a ceasefire and immediate release of all hostages are needed in Gaza, a ceasefire in Lebanon is also necessary,” noting that “people in the region are experiencing unimaginable situations due to the ongoing escalation.”
He urged immediate humanitarian actions and conflict resolution efforts, emphasizing the need to implement a two-state solution for peace in Palestine.
This was Guterres’s first visit to Russia since he traveled to Moscow in April 2022 at the beginning of the “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Ukraine had criticized Guterres for meeting with what they called the “criminal” President Putin. In response, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, clarified that Guterres would reaffirm his “well-known position” on the situation in Ukraine during his talks with President Putin.
The BRICS Plus/Outreach, the final event of the BRICS summit, was attended by leaders of non-member countries and heads of major international organizations, with around 40 participants, lasting about 3 hours and 25 minutes.
[Photo source: AFP=Yonhap News]
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