This is the fawning moment UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was seen bowing to ‘killer’ Vladimir Putin.
His act of submission – bowing his head to the Kremlin warmonger – sparked outrage in Ukraine, where President Volodymyr Zelensky canceled a trip to Kiev by the head of the United Nations.
Guterres met Putin at the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was criticized for the way he met Russian President Vladimir Putin (pictured right) at the BRIC conference in Kazan
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the BRICS summit in Kazan
Guterres also depicted meeting with Belaurs dictator Alexander Lukashenko
His behavior was exacerbated by footage showing him embracing Putin’s closest ally on the international stage: Belarusian despot Alexander Lukashenko, a vote rigger who used his ruthless KGB secret police to crush the law-abiding democratic opposition.
In addition to the hug, Guterres also enthusiastically accepted a gift from the Minsk tyrant.
Russian opposition figure Yulia Navalnaya – wife of ‘murdered’ Putin enemy Alexei Navalny – denounced Guterres for meeting Putin.
She posted on
Despite the backlash, the UN insisted that Guterres had bluntly told Putin that his invasion of Ukraine was illegal.
He called for “a just peace in accordance with the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions.”
Guterres was criticized for the warmth he showed to both Putin and Lukashenko, pictured
But Putin ignored Guterres and instead demanded UN reform.
‘For the UN to function effectively in the future, it is important to adapt its structure to the realities of the 21st century, by expanding representation in the Security Council and other key bodies to include countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America, including those whose leaders are in this room,” he said.
Putin’s meeting and Lukashenko’s tight embrace caused outrage in Ukraine, where Zelensky canceled an expected visit by Guterres.
The UN chief had not attended a Ukraine-heavy peace summit in Switzerland in June.
“That is why Guterres will mainly not be here, because of the humiliation of common sense and international law in Kazan,” a senior Ukrainian official said.
His meeting with Putin had ’caused anger in Kiev’.
Zelensky complained that there were officials in the UN who preferred “Kazan temptations” to the organization’s charter, implying that Guterres was too close to Moscow and not exactly an honest broker.
Lukashenko – seen as the illegitimate president of Belarus after falsifying the results of the 2020 presidential election – was seen effusively praising Guterres.
“I would like to congratulate you on the remarkable qualities you bring to the role of Secretary General,” said the man who has been in power in Belarus for 30 years but is now supported by Putin.
“In my political life I have observed more than one Secretary General, but I have never encountered such decisiveness as yours.”
He continued with some savory admiration, saying, “You should know that we will always support you.
“When it comes to peace and war, we are for peace, for peaceful negotiations, for a peaceful resolution of any conflicts.”
Despite his close relationship with Putin, Lukashenko appeared to encourage the UN chief to find a route to peace in Ukraine.
Video shows him donating a statue of a stork – a ‘symbol of peace’ – to the UN leader.
“We, Antonio, are in great need of peace,” he said.
