Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday clapped back at the decision by U.N. Secretary General António Guterres to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on United Nations Day — a day that officially solidified the body’s dedication to the promotion of peace and to “uphold international law.”
“On this United Nations Day, it’s crucial to emphasize that the world must not forget the goals and principles of the U.N. Charter and the reason this organization was created,” he said. “Even though some of its officials may choose the temptations of Kazan over the substance of the U.N. Charter, the world remains structured in such a way that the rights of nations and the norms of international law will always matter.”
“I am grateful to everyone who supports Ukraine in this,” Zelenskyy added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shakes hands with U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres during a meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, on Thursday. (Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via Reuters)
Zelenskyy’s comments were in direct response to Guterres’ decision to meet with Putin on the sidelines of the international BRICS summit hosted by Russia in Kazan.
BRICS, which stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is an intergovernmental body that was established in 2009 to counter Western influence and bolster economic partnerships, and it has increasingly become an alliance made up of authoritarian leaders.
Nations like Russia, China, Iran and potentially, North Korea, united under the alliance, not only sit as the West’s top adversaries, they are also all involved in international conflicts that violate the U.N. Charter — including Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The U.N. has yet to respond to Fox News Digital’s repeated questions over the secretary general’s decision to meet with Putin for the first time since 2022 amid the deadly war in Ukraine.
In response to reporters’ questions over the merits of the meeting with Putin, just months after Ukraine held a peace summit in Switzerland that Guterres did not attend, U.N. deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said, “The Secretary-General does look forward to visiting Ukraine at a mutually convenient time, as previously discussed with President Zelenskyy in September when they met.”
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, left, has come under scrutiny for hugging Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko during the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, on Thursday. (East2West News)
A report by AFP on Friday suggested that Zelenskyy now has no intention of meeting with Guterres, though Fox News Digital could not independently verify this information.
The Guterres-Putin meeting sparked outrage across Ukraine, and in a statement Friday, the Crimean Human Rights Group, which is based out of Kyiv, argued the secretary general’s decision to meet with Putin, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes relating to the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine, “undermines” the U.N. and the ICC.
“The visit of the U.N. Secretary-General to Russia is not only politically controversial but also devalues the fundamental principles that should guide the U.N., the organization that Mr. Guterres heads,” the statement said. “This is especially true of Mr. Guterres’ personal meeting with Mr. Putin.”
UKRAINE’S POPULATION HAS FALLEN BY 10 MILLION SINCE RUSSIA’S INVASION, UN SAYS
Sofia Manha, 4, is photographed inside a house where she lives with her family after shelling by separatist forces in Novognativka, eastern Ukraine, on Feb. 20, 2022. (UNICEF)
The statement pointed to U.N. guidelines that note “as a general rule, there should be no meetings between United Nations officials and persons who are the subject of warrants of arrest issued by the International Criminal Court”.
The guidelines further state that such a meeting should only be conducted when it is “imperative” for U.N. “mandated activities.”
The body called on the ICC to demand Guterres hands over all information he obtained in speaking with Putin, as directed under “Article 18 of the Relationship Agreement between the United Nations and the ICC.”
According to a read-out from the U.N. detailing Guterres’ visit, “The Secretary-General reiterated his position that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was in violation of the United Nations Charter and international law.”
Guterres further emphasized the U.N.’s support for a “just peace” in Ukraine “in line with the U.N. Charter, international law, and [a U.N.] General Assembly resolution.”
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, left, speaks with Ambassador of Russia Vassily Nebenzia before the start of the Security Council meeting on Ukraine at U.N. headquarters in New York on Feb. 24. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
But despite his words calling for an end to the war, his meeting with Putin, as well as his warm embrace with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko — an ardent supporter of the Kremlin chief — were a step too far for NATO ally Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.
Landsbergis, a vocal supporter of Ukraine, suggested the meeting signified the fall of the top international body in a message posted to X that said, “This is the UeNd.”
“If [Guterres] decides to resign, Lithuania won’t try to talk him out of it,” Landsbergis added.
Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the State Department for reaction to the meeting between Guterres and Putin.
