UN chief's warm ties with Putin at BRICS spark global outrage
The unexpected presence of the UN Secretary-General at the BRICS summit has sparked controversy from the start. These concerns certainly weren't quelled by the photos and recordings that surfaced online on Thursday. They show Guterres warmly greeting Vladimir Putin and even sharing affectionate hugs with Alexander Lukashenko.
The participation of the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, in the BRICS summit organized by Vladimir Putin, has caused quite a stir. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among others, expressed outrage over his attendance at the meeting.
The chances of the controversies dying down are diminishing. The discussion flared up not only after Guterres' Thursday appearance but also because of the photos and videos circulating online.
Warm handshakes, affectionate greetings
Official photos from the summit show the UN Secretary-General warmly greeting Vladimir Putin. Guterres shakes the Russian President's hand with a smile, leaning in a gesture of full respect. "This is the UeNd," wrote Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania's Foreign Minister, on platform X, using a play on words.
The recording of the greeting with Alexander Lukashenko is even more shocking. It shows Antonio Guterres falling into the dictator's arms. The two men pat each other's backs kindly, and Lukashenko, not wanting to let go of the UN Secretary, wraps his arm around him and they walk smiling towards the photographers.
"Can someone take the old man home? He seems disoriented and these people are taking advantage of him," commented Janis Kluge, an economist and collaborator of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin, on this scene.
On Ukraine with Putin
Guterres' Thursday address at the summit organized by Putin resonated widely when he called for a "just peace" in Ukraine.
"It is high time for peace — a just peace, based on the United Nations Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions," declared the UN Secretary-General.
Seizing the opportunity, he also called for the immediate cessation of military activities in Gaza and Lebanon and spoke about the need for peace in Sudan.
In Guterres' presence, Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian expressed regret over the ineffectiveness of international institutions, especially the UN, in "quenching the fire" in the Middle East.
Not to the taste of the EU and Kyiv
As AFP points out, the peace calls from Kazan do not meet the European Union's expectations. The community urged BRICS leaders to pressure Putin to "immediately end the war against the Ukrainian people."
According to Kyiv, by going to Kazan, Guterres made a "poor choice," which "will only harm the UN's reputation." The Ukrainian MFA noted that Guterres refused to attend the peace summit organized in June by Ukraine in Switzerland.
BRICS Summit
By organizing the summit in Kazan, Putin aimed to demonstrate the failure of Western sanctions and isolation policies, especially regarding Global South countries. He also sought to show a desire to end the alleged "hegemony" of the West in global diplomatic relations in favor of a "multipolar world," evaluated AFP.
After its expansion in January 2024, BRICS will have nine members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. NATO member Turkey applied for inclusion in this organization in September.
