The presence of the UN Secretary General at the summit organized by Russia sparked criticism from Ukraine.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrived in the Russian city of Kazan on Wednesday October 23 to participate at the BRICS summit, hosted by President Vladimir Putin.
Participation criticized by Ukraine and its allies
The participation of the UNO official was strongly criticized by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, even though he declined Ukraine’s invitation to the summit for peace.
“It is a bad choice which does not advance the cause of peace. It only harms the reputation of the UN”the Ukrainian official said on X.
Lithuania’s foreign minister, known for his hostility towards Russia, also called Guterres’ participation a“unacceptable” on the social network.
BRICS, economically two and a half times stronger than the EU
Before the formal opening of the summit, Vladimir Putin increased the number of bilateral meetings. The Russian president notably spoke with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, whose country exports Russian oil, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who provides economic support to Russia in the face of Western sanctions.
BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), which expanded this year Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates now weigh twice as much economically as the European Union.
At the summit, the leaders of the group’s states intend to discuss ways to reduce dependence on the US dollar, a dominant currency in global transactions, in particular by setting up an alternative to the Swift international payment network.