UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Russia on Wednesday to attend the BRICS summit, marking his first visit to the country in over two years, which has drawn scorn from Ukraine.
The gathering is the largest diplomatic forum in Russia since the launch of its full-scale military offensive on Ukraine in 2022, and President Vladimir Putin aims to use it to demonstrate that attempts to isolate him on the world stage have failed.
Around 20 world leaders, including those from China, India, Turkey, and Iran, are in the central city of Kazan, where they will address topics such as developing a BRICS-led international payment system and the conflict in the Middle East.
Moscow views the platform as an alternative to Western-led international organizations like the G7—a position supported by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In bilateral talks on Tuesday, including discussions with Xi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Putin hailed Moscow's close ties and "strategic partnerships" with its allies.
Xi, meanwhile, praised China's "profound" ties with Russia in what he described as a “chaotic” world.
Russia and China's relations have "injected strong impetus into the development, revitalization, and modernization of both countries," Xi said.
Putin remarked that he sees the relationship between Beijing and Moscow as a foundation for global “stability.”
“Russian-Chinese cooperation in world affairs serves as one of the stabilizing factors on the global stage. We intend to further increase coordination across all multilateral platforms to ensure global security and a just world order,” he told Xi.
Ukraine Conflict
The leaders will hold a summit session on Wednesday, where they are expected to highlight the organization's role in bolstering what Moscow and Beijing frequently refer to as a “multipolar world order.”
Supporting his vision of BRICS as a challenge to the West, Putin will hold separate talks with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian and Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday.
He will also meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkey, a NATO member, is positioning itself as a potential mediator between Russia and Ukraine while striving for warm relations with Moscow.
Guterres will hold talks with Putin on Thursday, where the two are expected to discuss the Ukraine conflict, according to the Kremlin.
Kyiv has condemned UN chief Guterres' trip.
“The UN Secretary-General declined Ukraine's invitation to the first Global Peace Summit in Switzerland. He did, however, accept the invitation to Kazan from war criminal Putin,” the Ukrainian foreign ministry said in a post on X.
Guterres' spokesperson stated that the trip was part of the UN chief's regular attendance at “organizations with a significant number of important member states," and noted that it offered a chance to "reaffirm his well-known positions" on the Ukraine conflict "and the conditions for just peace.”
Modi, who is also positioning himself as a potential peacemaker, called for a swift end to the conflict during talks with Putin on Tuesday.
“We have been in constant touch regarding the conflict between Russia and Ukraine,” Modi told Putin after the two shook hands and embraced.
“We believe that disputes should only be resolved peacefully. We fully support efforts to quickly restore peace and stability,” the Indian leader added.
India has maintained a delicate balance since the Ukraine conflict began, pledging humanitarian support for Kyiv while avoiding explicit condemnation of Moscow's actions.
Moscow has been steadily advancing on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine this year as it strengthens ties with countries like China, Iran, and North Korea.
(with AFP)
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