Antonio Guterres broke UN protocols and joined Putin at BRICS Summit, as North Korean troops entered Russia in order to help with the conflict in Ukraine. Sources indicate secret peace talks. However, his apparent comfort with Putin raises suspicion.
The international controversy surrounding UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ visit to Kazan, the capital of Russia’s Tatarstan republic for the three-day BRICS Summit has been sparked by Putin’s invitation. Images from the trip show some telling moments.
He is savoring chak chak, strips of deep-fried dough drenched with hot honey, and shaped into a sticky sweet ball. Ske News reported that other dignitaries received the same Tatar treat on their visits. But none seemed to enjoy it as much as the UN Secretary-General. He was nodding in appreciation while he chewed.
He is there again, shaking Putin’s hand and even making a small bow.
And there he was, Antonio Guterres smiling faintly as he listened to Putin dismiss the Russian invasion of Ukraine as “family problems.”
The optics of the situation are striking, given Ukraine’s ongoing fight against Russia’s unprovoked aggressiveness, which is now approaching its third anniversary. The fact that Guterres met with Putin despite declining to attend the Ukraine Peace Summit held in Switzerland in June has infuriated Kyiv‘s officials who accuse him tacitly of supporting a war crime. The UN defends the visits as “standard practices”, but calls for action against Guterres include declaring him persona grata in Ukraine and demanding his resignation.
Euromaidan Press investigates the true reasons for Guterres’ visit to Kazan, beyond the honey-sweetened diplomatic approach.
While Ukraine burns, Putin hosts BRICS spectacle
The 2024 BRICS Summit in Kazan was Russia’s largest gathering of international leaders since its full-scale invasion into Ukraine. It brought together 36 countries, with more than 20 of them represented by their head of state. Brazil’s President canceled his trip, citing medical advice after a head injury. However, the large attendance showed a disturbing tolerance for Putin. He had himself previously avoided the G20 Summit in Brazil due to a potential arrest over International Criminal Court charges.
Initially, the alliance included Brazil, Russia India, China and South Africa. Since then, the alliance has expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates. Turkiye Azerbaijan and Malaysia have applied formally, and other countries have expressed an interest in joining.
The summit showed BRICS’ growing challenge against Western influence. Russia was pushing for an alternative payment system to bypass the sanctions. Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General, downplayed concerns about Turkiye joining BRICS despite the fact that it has expressed an interest in doing so. He said this would not affect Turkiye’s commitment to NATO. The White House also dismissed the gathering, despite Western media describing it as a warning to the West in the midst of the Ukraine war.
The timing was particularly controversial as it coincided with reports that North Korean troops were entering Russia in exchange for technology assistance to support the war effort. During this time, there were documented cases of Russian executions against Ukrainian POWs.
Putin held high-profile bilateral talks at the summit to demonstrate Russia’s continued engagement in the world despite Western attempts to isolate it. His discussions with Chinese president Xi Jinping emphasized the strategic partnership between the two countries, while meetings with South African president Cyril Ramaphosa (and Indian PM Modi) focused on developing a world order multipolar and alternative trade agreements. Modi offered peace mediation in Ukraine, particularly after securing the returns of 85 Indian citizens “involuntarily recruited” into the Russian military. Negotiations are ongoing for another 20.
According to the Institute for the Study of War in the US, Russia will use the summit to “demonstrate its efforts at strengthening global ties with non Western states” while looking for ways of supporting its war effort and mitigating Western sanctions.
UN Chief’s cozy BRICS performance
Farhan Haq, his Deputy spokesperson, explained that Guterres’ attendance at the BRICS Summit in Kazan was “standard practice,” and that it was in line with his “regular involvement in organizations’ meetings, including those with many important member states such as the G7 or G20.”
Haq promised Guterres that he would “reaffirm [his] established position regarding the conflict in Ukraine during bilateral meeting with Putin.” This was a clear position: In March 2022, UN General Assembly demanded “that the Russian Federation immediately cease their unlawful use of force towards Ukraine.”
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