Ukraine Criticizes Guterres for Choosing BRICS over Peace Summit

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry criticized U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres for accepting President Putin's invitation to a BRICS summit while declining to attend Ukraine's peace summit. The decision has been viewed as damaging to the U.N.'s reputation. Over 90 countries attended the Swiss-organized peace summit in June.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has expressed harsh criticism towards U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres after he accepted Russian President Vladimir Putin's invitation to a BRICS summit, opting out of attending a peace summit focused on the Ukraine conflict.

The ministry condemned Guterres' decision on social media, stating that this choice harms the U.N.'s credibility. The BRICS summit, hosted by Russia in Kazan, aims to underscore the influence of non-Western nations and will feature leaders such as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Despite having communicated his intentions to Russian officials, Guterres has yet to make an official announcement. The absence of Guterres from the peace summit attended by over 90 countries in Switzerland in June is seen as a missed opportunity to advocate for an end to the conflict.

(With inputs from agencies.)