Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the UN Secretary-General in Moscow on Tuesday Apr. 26, 2022 on the Ukraine war (Source: UN Spokesperson Twitter)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
UNITED NATIONS – NEW YORK – The UN Secretary-General met with the President of the Russian Federation, H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin, in Moscow this afternoon to exchange positions on the situation in Ukraine. Putin agreed in principle to UN, and Red Cross involvement in evacuating civilians in Mariupol.
“During the tête-a-tête meeting, the Secretary-General reiterated the United Nations’ position on Ukraine, and they discussed the proposals for humanitarian assistance and evacuation of civilians from conflict zones, namely in relation to the situation in Mariupol. The President agreed, in principle, to the involvement of the United Nations and the International Committee for the Red Cross in the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.”
-Readout of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ meeting with Russian President Putin Apr. 26, 2022
In Moscow, Secretary-General @antonioguterres met with Russian president Vladimir Putin and reiterated the UN’s position on Ukraine. They discussed proposals for humanitarian assistance & evacuation of civilians from conflict zones. Full readout: https://t.co/GqlxzmGYCT pic.twitter.com/trlqMwZsNX
— UN Spokesperson (@UN_Spokesperson) April 26, 2022
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres and his delegation (left) meet the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow April 26, 2022. (UN Russia/Yuri Kochin)
During an earlier press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergery Lavrov in Moscow, Guterres called for a ceasefire in Ukraine. The Secretary-General traveled to Moscow Tuesday, after having met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara Monday. In his meeting with the Turkish President, the Secretary-General expressed his support for Turkey’s ongoing diplomatic efforts in relation to the war in Ukraine.
Guterres told reporters that he had held “a very frank discussion” with Minister Lavrov “and it is clear that there are two different positions on what is happening in Ukraine.” Russia has said it is conducting a “special military operation” in Ukraine, while for the UN, the 24 February invasion is a violation of the country’s territorial integrity and goes against the UN Charter.
“But it is my deep conviction that the sooner we end this war, the better – for the people of Ukraine, for the people of the Russian Federation, and those far beyond,”
– UN Secretary-General
