Cuddling with autocrats? UN Secretary General António Guterres was sharply criticized during a visit to Russia for a handshake with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and a warm hug with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
“It is the third year of the war and the UN Secretary General has shaken hands with a murderer,” Putin opponent Yulia Navalnaya wrote on the short message service X on Thursday. She does not only blame Putin for her wife’s death . husband Alexei Navalny is in a Russian prison camp, but also responsible for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Guterres shook hands with autocrats
Putin has an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for alleged war crimes. Guterres also met Lukashenko, who has been labeled Europe’s last dictator, at the Summit of Emerging Economic Nations (BRICS) hosted by Moscow. During one meeting, the 70-year-old shared what appeared to be a warm hug, as seen in footage from the meeting.
Lukashenko apparently also gave the 75-year-old a sculpture of storks, which are considered a symbol of peace in Belarus. Eastern Europe expert Janis Kluge of the Science and Politics Foundation in Berlin wrote about Guterres at X: “Sleepwalking into the arms of the dictator. “We should not forget that Lukashenko allowed Russian forces to attack Ukraine from the north, making the atrocities in Bukha and Irpin possible.”
Geopolitical strategist Velina Tchakaova said: “Putin got more out of the BRICS summit in Kazan than he could have dreamed.” The UN chief’s participation amounts to a ‘surrender’.
Ukrainian Parliament Speaker Rulan Stefanchuk criticized Guterres’ visit to the BRICS summit. As a founding member of the United Nations, Ukraine does not understand what leads the UN Secretary General to a summit held by an “international criminal,” Stefanchuk said, referring to host Vladimir Putin.
The country attacked by Russia also does not understand why Guterres does not have time to participate in Ukraine’s peace summits. “So I would like to get answers to at least these questions.”
Guterre’s remarkable performance also made international headlines. Britain’s The Times said in an op-ed: “By his presence alone, Guterres strengthens a leader who deserves to be expelled by UN member states for his continued violations of international law.”
Putin mocks the UN chief
A United Nations statement said that in a conversation with Putin, Guterres emphasized that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine was a violation of the UN Charter and international law. The United Nations strives for a just peace, the report said.
Kremlin chief Putin was unimpressed by the UN Secretary General’s words. He mockingly refuted his formulation that the world can only solve problems together as a “global family”: “Unfortunately, families often have divisions, scandals and disputes over property. “Sometimes there are fights,” Putin said mockingly.
The autocrat celebrated the summit with representatives from more than thirty countries as a historic event on the path to a new multipolar world order without Western dominance. In addition to Guterres, other guests at the summit also called for a just peace in Ukraine.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
