UN chief tells President Putin that Russian invasion violates UN Charter

Their meeting took place on Thursday in Kazan, Russia, the site of the 16th BRICS Summit.

In a post on the social media platform X, Mr Guterres wrote on Friday that during the meeting he stressed to President Putin the illegality of the Russian invasion.

“I reiterated the points I made in the Summit session” Mr. Guterres said.

The BRICS group was founded by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2006 – South Africa joined in 2010 – and has since expanded to a bloc of nations that collectively represent nearly half the world’s population.

Addressing the summit on Thursday, the Secretary-General emphasized the need for peace in Ukraine, “a just peace in accordance with UN Charterinternational law and General Assembly resolutions.”

He also emphasized the importance of upholding the values ​​of the UN Charter, the rule of law and the principles of sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of states everywhere.

In his meeting with Mr. Putin, Secretary-General Guterres also expressed his strong support for establishing an agreement for safe navigation in the Black Sea.which is an essential pathway for global food security.

“The Secretary-General expressed his belief that the establishment of freedom of navigation in the Black Sea is of paramount importance for Ukraine, the Russian Federation and for the food and energy security of the world,” according to a reader of the meeting issued by Mr. Guterres. ‘ the bearer of the word.

“He fully supports the continuation of negotiations in this regard and expresses his deep appreciation for the work done by Turkey,” the text added.

The transport of agricultural commodities, particularly grain from Ukraine and other Black Sea ports, as well as fertilizers has been severely affected since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, endangering food security and exploding prices global.

Brokered by the UN and Turkey in July 2022, the Black Sea Grains Initiative and the subsequent parallel agreement between the UN and Russia were crucial in restoring trade in the vital commodity.

The initiative was not renewed after the third termwhich expired on July 17, 2023, again impacting the trade route.

At a press briefing in New York on Friday, a UN spokesman asked questions about Secretary General António GuterresMeeting Russian President Vladimir Putin despite being active International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant against the Russian leader.

Deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq said any engagement between UN officials and the indicted was strictly based on operational necessity.

“There are very clear operational issues that we have to deal with,” Mr Haq explained, referring to the meeting’s reading and noted concerns over the war in Ukraine and safe navigation in the Black Sea.

“All these are grounds for having such a meeting, again, under strict conditions in terms of dealing with operational matters, while having to deal with indicted personnel.”