U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres signals little hope for peace in Ukraine before meeting Putin in Moscow

United Nations — Following failing to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to halt his war in Ukraine by sending an emissary, U.N. Secretary-Standard Antonio Guterres was in Moscow on Tuesday to meet up with Putin in individual. The U.N. main arrived in Moscow after checking out Ankara, Turkey, the place the authorities has been primary the drive for a ceasefire. 

In his 1st official meeting in Moscow on Tuesday, Guterres sat throughout from Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and said he remained “really intrigued in discovering methods in get to make the conditions for successful dialogue, produce the conditions for a ceasefire as before long as probable.”

But soon after his “pretty frank dialogue” with Lavrov, Guterres informed reporters it was “apparent that there are two unique positions on what is taking place in Ukraine,” suggesting the Russian diplomat had given him little to gasoline hope of any imminent move back again from hostilities. 

Guterres also sat down for a meeting with Putin. Later on this 7 days Guterres is scheduled to travel to Kyiv to meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who blasted the U.N. chief’s conclusion to visit Moscow to start with as Russia’s bombardment of Ukrainian cities continues.  

The U.N. chief acknowledged the international body’s incapacity to influence any transform at all on the floor in Ukraine, and explained he was “anxious about the recurring reviews of violations of intercontinental humanitarian and human rights law and feasible war crimes,” reiterating his contact for an “unbiased investigation for effective accountability.” 
 
Guterres stressed the need for speedy humanitarian corridors to get civilians out of besieged towns like the port of Mariupol, and get foods, medicine and other simple items in.
 
“To that finish, I have proposed the establishment of a Humanitarian Make contact with Team, bringing collectively the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the United Nations, to glimpse for chances for the opening of secure corridors, with local cessations of hostilities, and to promise that they are in fact powerful,” he advised reporters after the conference with Lavrov, contacting the dire circumstances in Mariupol “a disaster in a disaster.”

Lavrov claimed Russia was “prepared to cooperate with our colleagues from the U.N. to relieve the plight of the civilian inhabitants” in Ukraine.

Around the weekend, Zelenskyy stated it was “simply mistaken” for Guterres to check out Russia prior to Ukraine, telling reporters “there is no justice and no logic in this get.” 

“The war is in Ukraine, there are no bodies in the streets of Moscow. It would be rational to go initially to Ukraine, to see the persons there, the outcomes of the profession,” he claimed.

The deputy head of Zelenskyy’s place of work, Igor Zhovkva, claimed Sunday on “Meet up with the Press” that the Secretary-Typical was “not really” authorized to talk on behalf of the Ukrainian authorities.

The merits of Guterres’ itinerary will probable be judged on Putin’s response to the Secretary-General’s ask for for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.

“The Secretary-Common reported that at this time of excellent peril and consequence, he would like to talk about urgent measures to bring about peace in Ukraine,” Dujarric told reporters in New York in advance of the trip.

Guterres travels on Tuesday night to Rzeszow, Poland, and on Thursday he satisfies with Zelenskyy and International Minister Kuleba in Kyiv.

The U.N. main will be in Kyiv just days following the pay a visit to by U.S. Secretary of Point out Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who came promising hundreds of hundreds of thousands of pounds in more armed forces help. 

Blinken reported Monday that he had spoken with Guterres and that he understood the U.N. chief would provide a “very solid concept” to Putin on the want to stop the war and to put into action an quick ceasefire and open corridors to enable help in and civilians out of besieged towns.

In advance of Guterres’ check out to Ankara, Ukraine’s president claimed he “had an vital cellphone discussion with Erdogan in which he pressured the need for rapid evacuation of civilians from Mariupol.”

Turkish media reported Sunday that Erdogan experienced reiterated his country’s help for negotiations to conclusion the war and stated Turkey would welcome a “guarantor” position in any peace arrangement.