Ukraine blasts UN's Guterres over invitation to BRICS summit in Russia

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry blasted UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday for what it said was his acceptance of an invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin to a BRICS summit, while staying away from a "peace summit" on the war in Ukraine.

"The UN Secretary General declined Ukraine's invitation to the first Global Peace Summit in Switzerland," the ministry said on X.

"He did, however, accept the invitation to Kazan from war criminal Putin. This is a wrong choice that does not advance the cause of peace. It only damages the UN's reputation," it added.

Putin hosts a summit of BRICS nations in the central Russian city of Kazan from Tuesday, aimed at showcasing the clout of non-Western countries. Leaders attending include Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The acronym BRIC was coined in 2001 by then-Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O'Neill in a research paper that underlined the massive growth potential of Brazil, Russia, India and China this century.

Russia, India and China began to meet more formally, eventually adding Brazil, then South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has yet to formally join.

UN chief to announce travel plan

A Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman earlier this month said Guterres had told Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the UN General Assembly last month that he intended to go to Kazan.

But deputy UN spokesperson Farham Haq, when asked on Monday if Guterres would attend, said: "Announcements on his future travels will be later on down the line."

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with heads of leading media outlets from the BRICS member countries in Moscow Region, Russia October 18, 2024.Reuters

The peace summit in a Swiss mountain resort in June, which brought together more than 90 countries, denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine and sought a way to end the conflict, though Russia was not invited and dismissed it as meaningless.

Ukrainian President Voldoymyr Zelenskiy says he wants to stage a second summit by the end of the year, but Russia has said it has no intention of attending.

Guterres said at the time he would not attend the Swiss-organized meeting, though the UN was represented.

Ukraine war shadows BRICS meet

Russia wants the BRICS summit to showcase the rising clout of the non-Western world, but Moscow's partners from China, India, Brazil and the Arab world are urging Putin to find a way to end the war in Ukraine.

The BRICS group now accounts for 45% of the world's population and 35% of its economy, based on purchasing power parity, though China accounts for over half of its economic might.

Putin, who is cast by the West as a war criminal, told reporters from BRICS nations that "BRICS does not put itself into opposition to anyone", and that the shift in the drivers of global growth was simply a fact.

"This is an association of states that work together based on common values, a common vision of development and, most importantly, the principle of taking into account each other's interests," he said.

Putin, who ordered troops into Ukraine in 2022 after eight years of fighting in eastern Ukraine, was peppered with questions by BRICS reporters about the prospects for a ceasefire in Ukraine.

BRICS' share of global GDP is forecast to rise to 37% by the end of this decade while the share accounted for by the Group of Seven major Western economies will decline to about 28% from 30% this year, according to data from the International Monetary Fund.

Russia is seeking to convince BRICS countries to build an alternative platform for international payments that would be immune to Western sanctions.

But divisions abound inside BRICS. China and India, the top purchasers of Russian oil, have difficult relations, while there is little love lost between Arab nations and Iran.