In his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in two years, UN chief António Guterres told Putin on Thursday that Russia's invasion of Ukraine violates international law. Guterres, who has been involved in peace efforts between the two sides since the early weeks of the conflict, also vouched for "freedom of navigation" in the Black Sea.
Issued on: 24/10/2024 -
By: FRANCE 24
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia on October 24, 2024. © Grigory Sysoyev, AP
Vladimir Putin met UN chief Antonio Guterres for the first time in over two years on Thursday, as the Russian president faced calls from his BRICS allies to end the conflict in Ukraine.
The meeting took place on the final day of the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan, a forum Moscow hopes will help forge a united front of emerging economies against the West.
The UN secretary-general met with Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, after a speech in which Guterres called for a "just peace" in Ukraine.
He "reiterated his position that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was in violation of the United Nations Charter and international law," a readout from the UN chief's spokesperson said after their meeting, which had been criticized by Kyiv.
Guterres has repeatedly criticised Moscow's military offensive against Ukraine, saying it sets a "dangerous precedent" for the world.
Guterres also emphasized his commitment to "establishing freedom of navigation in the Black Sea," saying the move was vital for both Ukraine and Russia, as well as global "food and energy security."
"He fully supports the continuation of negotiations in this regard," the statement said, citing "deep appreciation" to Turkey's mediating efforts.
The Black Sea is a significant trade route for Ukraine, one of the largest exporters of grain in the world, but it has been mired since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
A UN-brokered agreement allowed Ukraine to export agricultural exports on the Black Sea, but Moscow withdrew from the deal in 2023.
Kyiv has nonetheless carved out a maritime corridor allowing trade to continue.
The two men last saw each other in the first weeks of the offensive when Guterres travelled to Moscow during Russia's siege of Mariupol in south Ukraine.
Guterres has since been involved in peace efforts between the two sides, helping to broker a deal that allowed Kyiv to safely export grain from its ports in 2022.
There has been little direct diplomatic contact between the two countries since, and Ukraine has strongly criticised the UN chief's decision to meet Putin.
There was also criticism from Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of slain Kremlin dissident Alexei Navalny, who labelled Putin a "murderer" in a post on X.
Russia's opponents "do not conceal their aim to deal our country a strategic defeat", Putin said. "I will say directly that these are illusory calculations, that can be made only by those who do not know Russia's history."
The Putin-Guterres talks come as Moscow's troops advance in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, edging closer to the key supply hub of Pokrovsk.
The United States has warned that thousands of North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia, in what the West and Kyiv fear could develop into a major troop deployment to support Moscow.
'No place in modern world'
The United Nations has said that Guterres plans to meet Putin in Kazan, where he will also deliver a speech.
UN spokesman Farhan Haq said Guterres would use the meeting to "reaffirm his well-known positions on the war in Ukraine".
Haq said the UN chief is on standby to offer mediation, but is waiting for when "the conditions are right".
"Obviously he stands ready, when the parties are willing, to offer his services. He will continue to monitor and see when the situation is right."
Ukraine has slammed Guterres's Russia visit, with Kyiv's foreign ministry blasting him for planning to meet the "criminal Putin".
Guterres has criticised Moscow's annexation of Ukrainian territory, saying it has "no place in the modern world".
He has visited areas where the Russian army has been accused of atrocities in Ukraine, and repeatedly called for a "just peace".
North Korea
The meeting comes a day after the United States said it believed "thousands" of North Korean soldiers were being trained in Russia.
Read moreFrom isolation to battlefield: North Korean troops could face reality shock in Ukraine
"We don't know what their mission will be or if they'll go on to fight in Ukraine," a senior US official said.
Putin – who signed a mutual defence pact with North Korea on a trip to the reclusive state in June – has not yet commented on the reports.
Russia on Wednesday said to "ask Pyongyang" about troop movements, refusing to confirm or deny the allegations.
Several world leaders called for an end to the Ukraine conflict at the BRICS summit.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi – who has also tried to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv – said on Tuesday he wanted the conflict to be resolved "peacefully".
"We totally support efforts to quickly restore peace and stability," he said.
New Delhi has walked a delicate tightrope since Moscow launched its offensive, pledging humanitarian support for Kyiv while avoiding explicit condemnation of Moscow's actions.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has also urged an end to the conflict.
On Wednesday night, Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan also arrived in Kazan "as a state invited to join the (BRICS) group", his ministry said on social media platform X.
Turkey is determined to pursue its talks with the BRICS group of emerging market nations, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday after Ankara became the first NATO member seeking to join.
Erdogan joined the summit at Putin's invitation after asking last month to join the bloc, which incorporates Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
"We are determined to further our dialogue with the BRICS family, with whom we have developed close relations based on mutual respect and win-win," he told delegates at the BRICS forum in Kazan.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Vladimir Putin met UN chief Antonio Guterres for the first time in over two years on Thursday, as the Russian president faced calls from his BRICS allies to end the conflict in Ukraine.
The meeting took place on the final day of the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan, a forum Moscow hopes will help forge a united front of emerging economies against the West.
The UN secretary-general met with Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, after a speech in which Guterres called for a "just peace" in Ukraine.
He "reiterated his position that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was in violation of the United Nations Charter and international law," a readout from the UN chief's spokesperson said after their meeting, which had been criticized by Kyiv.
Guterres has repeatedly criticised Moscow's military offensive against Ukraine, saying it sets a "dangerous precedent" for the world.
Guterres also emphasized his commitment to "establishing freedom of navigation in the Black Sea," saying the move was vital for both Ukraine and Russia, as well as global "food and energy security."
"He fully supports the continuation of negotiations in this regard," the statement said, citing "deep appreciation" to Turkey's mediating efforts.
The Black Sea is a significant trade route for Ukraine, one of the largest exporters of grain in the world, but it has been mired since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
A UN-brokered agreement allowed Ukraine to export agricultural exports on the Black Sea, but Moscow withdrew from the deal in 2023.
Kyiv has nonetheless carved out a maritime corridor allowing trade to continue.
The two men last saw each other in the first weeks of the offensive when Guterres travelled to Moscow during Russia's siege of Mariupol in south Ukraine.
Guterres has since been involved in peace efforts between the two sides, helping to broker a deal that allowed Kyiv to safely export grain from its ports in 2022.
There has been little direct diplomatic contact between the two countries since, and Ukraine has strongly criticised the UN chief's decision to meet Putin.
There was also criticism from Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of slain Kremlin dissident Alexei Navalny, who labelled Putin a "murderer" in a post on X.
During the final day of the BRICS summit on Thursday, Putin said that the conflict in Ukraine was being used by Moscow's opponents to try and defeat it militarily but they would not succeed.
Russia's opponents "do not conceal their aim to deal our country a strategic defeat", Putin said. "I will say directly that these are illusory calculations, that can be made only by those who do not know Russia's history."
The Putin-Guterres talks come as Moscow's troops advance in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, edging closer to the key supply hub of Pokrovsk.
The United States has warned that thousands of North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia, in what the West and Kyiv fear could develop into a major troop deployment to support Moscow.
'No place in modern world'
The United Nations has said that Guterres plans to meet Putin in Kazan, where he will also deliver a speech.
UN spokesman Farhan Haq said Guterres would use the meeting to "reaffirm his well-known positions on the war in Ukraine".
Haq said the UN chief is on standby to offer mediation, but is waiting for when "the conditions are right".
"Obviously he stands ready, when the parties are willing, to offer his services. He will continue to monitor and see when the situation is right."
Ukraine has slammed Guterres's Russia visit, with Kyiv's foreign ministry blasting him for planning to meet the "criminal Putin".
Guterres has criticised Moscow's annexation of Ukrainian territory, saying it has "no place in the modern world".
He has visited areas where the Russian army has been accused of atrocities in Ukraine, and repeatedly called for a "just peace".
North Korea
The meeting comes a day after the United States said it believed "thousands" of North Korean soldiers were being trained in Russia.
Read moreFrom isolation to battlefield: North Korean troops could face reality shock in Ukraine
"We don't know what their mission will be or if they'll go on to fight in Ukraine," a senior US official said.
Putin – who signed a mutual defence pact with North Korea on a trip to the reclusive state in June – has not yet commented on the reports.
Russia on Wednesday said to "ask Pyongyang" about troop movements, refusing to confirm or deny the allegations.
Several world leaders called for an end to the Ukraine conflict at the BRICS summit.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi – who has also tried to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv – said on Tuesday he wanted the conflict to be resolved "peacefully".
"We totally support efforts to quickly restore peace and stability," he said.
New Delhi has walked a delicate tightrope since Moscow launched its offensive, pledging humanitarian support for Kyiv while avoiding explicit condemnation of Moscow's actions.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has also urged an end to the conflict.
On Wednesday night, Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan also arrived in Kazan "as a state invited to join the (BRICS) group", his ministry said on social media platform X.
Turkey is determined to pursue its talks with the BRICS group of emerging market nations, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday after Ankara became the first NATO member seeking to join.
Erdogan joined the summit at Putin's invitation after asking last month to join the bloc, which incorporates Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
"We are determined to further our dialogue with the BRICS family, with whom we have developed close relations based on mutual respect and win-win," he told delegates at the BRICS forum in Kazan.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Host Putin faces calls to end Ukraine war at BRICS summit
Russian President Vladimir Putin faced direct calls to end the Ukraine conflict from some of his closest and most important partners on Wednesday as world leaders gathered in Russia for the second day of the largest diplomatic forum held by the country since it began its invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
Issued on: 23/10/2024 - By: NEWS WIRES
Mediation offers
On the Middle East, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian urged BRICS members to "use all their collective and individual capacities to end the war in Gaza and Lebanon".
Xi repeated his call for a ceasefire, saying: "We need to... stop the killing and work tirelessly for a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue."
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also called for escalation in both the Middle East and Ukraine to be avoided.
"As we face two wars that have the potential to become global, it is essential to restore our ability to work together toward common goals," he said in an address to the summit via video conference.
In private talks, Putin welcomed offers by several of the BRICS leaders to mediate in Ukraine, even as he told them his forces were advancing, his spokesman said Wednesday.
Many countries "expressed a desire to contribute more actively" to resolving the conflict, state media cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as telling reporters.
Read morePutin hails Russia-India 'strategic partnership' in talks with Modi at BRICS summit
Putin had also used the meetings to tout "the very positive dynamics on the front for the Russian armed forces," Peskov said.
Russia's troops have been slowly advancing in eastern Ukraine for much of 2024, though neither side has been able to make a decisive breakthrough and the conflict appears locked in an attritional phase.
"Avoiding escalation and initiating peace negotiations is also crucial in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia," Brazil's Lula said.
Multipolar order
Xi and Modi have previously touted their own peace initiatives for Ukraine, though there has appeared to be little progress.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, also at the summit, is another casting himself as a possible peacemaker.
He will hold direct talks with Putin later on Wednesday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin faced direct calls to end the Ukraine conflict from some of his closest and most important partners on Wednesday as world leaders gathered in Russia for the second day of the largest diplomatic forum held by the country since it began its invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
Issued on: 23/10/2024 - By: NEWS WIRES
Russian President Vladimir Putin hosts China's Xi Jinping and India's Narendra Modi at the BRICS Summit in Kazan on October 23, 2024. © Alexander Nemenov, AP
World leaders called for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine at the BRICS summit in Russia on Wednesday, as President Vladimir Putin told them he welcomed offers to mediate in the Ukraine conflict.
The Russian leader is casting the gathering as a sign that Western attempts to isolate Moscow have failed, but faced direct calls to end the Ukraine conflict from some of his closest and most important partners.
The meeting of around 20 world leaders in the central city of Kazan is the largest diplomatic forum in Russia since Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in 2022.
Starting in 2009 with four members – Brazil, Russia, India and China – BRICS has since expanded to include other emerging nations such as South Africa, Egypt and Iran.
Chinese President Xi Jinping told the summit there must be "no escalation of fighting" in Ukraine.
World leaders called for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine at the BRICS summit in Russia on Wednesday, as President Vladimir Putin told them he welcomed offers to mediate in the Ukraine conflict.
The Russian leader is casting the gathering as a sign that Western attempts to isolate Moscow have failed, but faced direct calls to end the Ukraine conflict from some of his closest and most important partners.
The meeting of around 20 world leaders in the central city of Kazan is the largest diplomatic forum in Russia since Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in 2022.
Starting in 2009 with four members – Brazil, Russia, India and China – BRICS has since expanded to include other emerging nations such as South Africa, Egypt and Iran.
Chinese President Xi Jinping told the summit there must be "no escalation of fighting" in Ukraine.
Putin said he saw relations between Beijing and China as a foundation of global 'stability'. © Alexander Zemlianichenko, POOL/AFP
"We must adhere to the three principles of 'no spillover from the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no adding oil to the fire by relevant parties', so as to ease the situation as soon as possible," Xi said.
Russia and China signed a "no limits" strategic partnership days before Moscow ordered troops into Ukraine and Putin and Xi both hailed close ties in a bilateral meeting on Tuesday.
Without referring to any specific conflict, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also issued a call for peace.
"We support dialogue and diplomacy, not war," he said.
"We must adhere to the three principles of 'no spillover from the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no adding oil to the fire by relevant parties', so as to ease the situation as soon as possible," Xi said.
Russia and China signed a "no limits" strategic partnership days before Moscow ordered troops into Ukraine and Putin and Xi both hailed close ties in a bilateral meeting on Tuesday.
Without referring to any specific conflict, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also issued a call for peace.
"We support dialogue and diplomacy, not war," he said.
Mediation offers
On the Middle East, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian urged BRICS members to "use all their collective and individual capacities to end the war in Gaza and Lebanon".
Xi repeated his call for a ceasefire, saying: "We need to... stop the killing and work tirelessly for a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue."
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also called for escalation in both the Middle East and Ukraine to be avoided.
"As we face two wars that have the potential to become global, it is essential to restore our ability to work together toward common goals," he said in an address to the summit via video conference.
In private talks, Putin welcomed offers by several of the BRICS leaders to mediate in Ukraine, even as he told them his forces were advancing, his spokesman said Wednesday.
Many countries "expressed a desire to contribute more actively" to resolving the conflict, state media cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as telling reporters.
Read morePutin hails Russia-India 'strategic partnership' in talks with Modi at BRICS summit
Putin had also used the meetings to tout "the very positive dynamics on the front for the Russian armed forces," Peskov said.
Russia's troops have been slowly advancing in eastern Ukraine for much of 2024, though neither side has been able to make a decisive breakthrough and the conflict appears locked in an attritional phase.
"Avoiding escalation and initiating peace negotiations is also crucial in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia," Brazil's Lula said.
Multipolar order
Xi and Modi have previously touted their own peace initiatives for Ukraine, though there has appeared to be little progress.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, also at the summit, is another casting himself as a possible peacemaker.
He will hold direct talks with Putin later on Wednesday.
The BRICS summit is the largest diplomatic forum in Russia since it launched its full-scale military offensive on Ukraine. © Alexey Filippov, AFP
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was also at the summit, his first visit to Russia for more than two years. He will on Thursday hold talks with Putin over Ukraine.
Moscow promotes the BRICS platform as an alternative to Western-led international organisations like the G7.
"The process of forming a multipolar world order is underway, a dynamic and irreversible process," Putin said at the official opening of the summit.
He also blasted the West for hitting BRICS members, including Russia, with sanctions, saying they could trigger a global crisis.
"Significant crisis potential also remains. And it is not only about the ever-increasing geopolitical tensions, but also ... the practice of unilateral sanctions, protectionism and unfair competition is expanding," Putin said.
Putin also called on the leaders of emerging economies to explore alternative payments and trading platforms to reduce their reliance on Western infrastructure.
(AFP)
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was also at the summit, his first visit to Russia for more than two years. He will on Thursday hold talks with Putin over Ukraine.
Moscow promotes the BRICS platform as an alternative to Western-led international organisations like the G7.
"The process of forming a multipolar world order is underway, a dynamic and irreversible process," Putin said at the official opening of the summit.
He also blasted the West for hitting BRICS members, including Russia, with sanctions, saying they could trigger a global crisis.
"Significant crisis potential also remains. And it is not only about the ever-increasing geopolitical tensions, but also ... the practice of unilateral sanctions, protectionism and unfair competition is expanding," Putin said.
Putin also called on the leaders of emerging economies to explore alternative payments and trading platforms to reduce their reliance on Western infrastructure.
(AFP)
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