Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected the possibility of a visit by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to Ukraine. According to the source, this refusal was a reaction to the UN chief's participation in the BRICS summit, which took place this week in the Russian city of Kazan. This step of the Ukrainian leadership is a response to Guterres' cooperation with the BRICS countries, including Russia, which continues a full-scale war against Ukraine.
Guterres had wanted to visit Kyiv after the summit, but his request was not supported by the Ukrainian side. The speech the UN Secretary-General delivered to the summit participants, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, caused particular discontent in Ukraine. During his speech, he called for a “just peace” in Ukraine, while avoiding direct statements about aggression and violation of international law by Russia.
This visit by Guterres to Russia was the first since the start of the full-scale war and caused outrage among Ukrainian officials. Earlier, in March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin for his responsibility in the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children, which added weighty arguments to the Ukrainian side's reluctance to support the Secretary-General's visit.
