Zelensky rejects UN secretary-general's visit over Russia trip, presidential source tells AFP
Kateryna Denisova
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, on Oct. 24, 2024. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's visit to Ukraine due to his participation in a summit in Russia, AFP reported on Oct. 25, citing an unnamed high-ranking source close to the Presidential Office.
The Kyiv Independent reached out for comment to the Presidential Office but has not received an answer at the time of publication.
Guterres attended the BRICS summit hosted in Kazan on Oct. 23-24, despite Ukraine's criticism. The U.N. secretary-general did not visit the global peace summit in Switzerland at Kyiv's invitation in the summer.
"After Kazan, (Guterres) wanted to come to Ukraine, but the president did not confirm his visit. So Guterres won't be here, specifically because of the humiliation of sanity and international law in Kazan," the source told AFP.
In Kazan, Guterres met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The photo of their handshake was blasted by Ukrainians and some Western officials on social media.
The U.N. secretary's visit came as North Korean troops are reportedly being deployed in Russia's Kursk Oblast and are expected to be sent to fight in Ukraine.
Guterres reiterated to Putin that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine violated the U.N. charter and international law, according to a U.N. statement issued after their meeting.
"Although even some of its functionaries prefer the temptations in Kazan to the content of the U.N. Charter, our world is built in such a way that the rights of nations and the norms of international law matter and will matter," Zelensky said on Oct. 24, without naming Guterres.
Guterres's visit to Ukraine was not previously announced.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, among other leaders, also arrived at the summit. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has canceled the trip after suffering a head injury at home.
