Mr Guterres’ trip to the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, drew criticism from Kyiv after the UN chief refused to attend the latest “peace formula” summit hosted by the Ukrainian president.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected the UN Secretary General’s visit to the country because of his trip to Russia, the AFP news agency reported on Friday, citing a senior Ukrainian presidential official.
Guterres’ trip drew ire from Kyiv because the UN chief refused to attend the UN summit Peace formula from Mr. Zelensky before accepting the Kremlin’s invitation to Kazan at the start of the week to participate in BRICS.
Following his meeting with Vladimir Putin during the BRICS summitMr. Guterres’ press service said that the UN chief “reiterated his position that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was a violation of the United Nations Charter and international law.”
Mr Zelensky has since criticized Mr Guterres’ trip to BRICS, without naming him.
“Even if some of its leaders choose the temptations of Kazan over the substance of the UN charter, the world remains structured in such a way that the rights of nations and the norms of international law will always matter,” the leader said Ukrainian in his speech Thursday evening.
“I am grateful to everyone who supports Ukraine in this endeavor.”
Speaking at the United Nations Security Council last month, Zelensky said Moscow should be “forced” into peace based on the United Nations Charter.
He called Russia’s war “crazy” and added that Kyiv has information that the Kremlin plans to target three nuclear power plants in Ukraine.
“From the first seconds of this war, Russia did things that cannot be justified by the United Nations Charter, such as ‘killing children’ in Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
“This war cannot just die down, it cannot end with talks, action must be taken,” he said, calling on BRICS countries to participate in peace efforts.
Zelensky: North Koreans on the battlefield “this weekend”
North Korean troops are ready to be deployed by Russia to the battlefield in Ukraine this weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday.
Western officials have warned that the arrival of North Korean units in the fighting would stir up war which has lasted for almost three years and would have geopolitical consequences even in the Indo-Pacific region.
In a message posted on Telegram, Mr. Zelensky said that Ukrainian intelligence had determined that “the first North Korean military personnel will be used by Russia in combat zones” between Sunday and Monday.
He added on Telegram that this deployment constituted “a clear escalation on the part of Russia”. He did not provide further details, including where North Korean troops might be sent.
Russia waged a fierce summer campaign on Ukraine’s eastern front, gradually forcing Kyiv to cede ground. But Russia has struggled to push Ukrainian forces out of the Kursk border region, following an incursion almost three months ago.
ADVERTISEMENTNorth Korean units were detected on Wednesday in Kurskaccording to Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, known by the acronym GUR.
The soldiers followed several weeks of training at bases in eastern Russia and had been equipped with Russian uniformsin particular clothing for the coming winter, indicated the GUR in a press release published late Thursday.
He estimated the number of North Korean troops sent by Pyongyang to Russia at around 12,000, including some 500 officers and three generals.
GUR has not provided any evidence for its claims.
ADVERTISEMENTDutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said Friday on the social platform
The deployment of North Korean forces as part of a military pact between Moscow and Pyongyang gives a new dimension to the conflict, which is the biggest war in Europe since World War II and who cost tens of thousands of lives on both sides, including many civilians.
The United States said Wednesday that 3,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia and are training at several sites, calling the move very serious.
A week ago, Mr. Zelensky said his government had information that 10,000 North Korean troops were ready to join Russian forces fighting his country. He added that a third nation interfering in hostilities would turn the conflict into a “world war.”
ADVERTISEMENTNorth Korea has already supplied ammunition to Russia as part of a defense pact, but sending troops on the ground could seriously complicate a war that has inflamed international politics, with most Western countries backing kyiv.
Putin, meanwhile, has sought support from BRICS countries.
He neither confirmed nor denied the presence of North Korean troops in Russia.
