UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres has arrived in Kazan in Russia’s Volga region to take part in the BRICS Summit.

According to its statement, Guterres was greeted at the Kazan International Airport by Farid Mukhametshin, chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan.

Guterres’ office disclosed that he would discuss the Ukrainian conflict with Putin, as well as the crisis in the Middle East.

His decision to attend the meeting hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin was met with criticism from Ukraine and its allies, given the ongoing conflict following the 2022 full-scale invasion.

Based on reports of his attendance, Kyiv foreign affairs ministry posted on X on Monday, “This is a wrong choice that does not advance the cause of peace. It only damages the UN’s reputation,” noting that he had declined to attend a peace summit in Switzerland to which Ukraine invited him earlier this year.

According to Stewart Patrick, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Guterres may be attempting to forge a peace deal, and shares some of the BRICS’ concerns over the representativeness of international institutions.

However, he added that it would likely not be well received in Western capitals, because it might be seen as legitimating Vladimir Putin’s Policies.

Ukraine Situation Discussed

According to Kremlin Spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin informed foreign leaders in detail about the situation surrounding Ukraine during bilateral meetings.

He added that among other topics, the Russian leader briefed his foreign counterparts on the successes of the Russian Army on the battlefield and Kiev’s reluctance to negotiate.

On the sidelines of the BRICS Summit on Tuesday, Putin held separate meetings with the leaders of China, India, South Africa, and Egypt. He also spoke with New Development Bank President Dilma Rousseff.

“Ukraine was heavily discussed at yesterday’s bilateral meetings, of which the president had quite a few. As a rule, issues surrounding the Ukraine crisis feature prominently on the agenda of every meeting,” the Russian presidential spokesman said.

According to Peskov, most countries have expressed their willingness to act as mediators. “We appreciate such efforts. But we will have to see what comes of it,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, as chair of the BRICS Summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin opened a 10-member meeting in Kazan.

The BRICS Summit – named after original members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – has this year expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and is meeting in Kazan, Russia over several days this week.

Putin proposed discussing deeper financial cooperation, further expansion of the association and the settlement of acute conflicts at the BRICS summit.

According to Putin, attention should be paid to the implementation of “two important decisions of the previous summit in Johannesburg.” “This refers to deepening financial cooperation within BRICS,” the Russian leader said, adding that the next equally important issue is further expansion of the association.

The Russian leader drew attention to the fact that the 16th BRICS summit is being held for the first time in an expanded format after five more countries joined the association this year.

He assured that “Russia has approached the organization of joint activities within the association this year with great responsibility.”

“We have sought to strengthen the authority of BRICS, enhance its role in world affairs, in solving pressing global and regional problems, and have done everything possible to deepen the multifaceted cooperation of our states in three main areas – politics and security, economics and finance, and cultural and humanitarian contacts.”
Vladimir Putin

He added that Moscow “has done everything to ensure the smooth and most complete integration of new member countries into the work of the association.”