Senior adviser to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said on Sunday that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “is not authorized” to speak on behalf of Ukraine in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The big picture: The comment comes as Guterres prepares to meet with Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday, before meeting with Zelensky and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba on Thursday.
- “We need urgent steps to save lives, end human suffering and bring peace to Ukraine,” Guterres tweeted, announcing Friday’s meeting.
Driving the news: “It’s not a good idea to travel to Moscow. We did not understand his intention to travel to Moscow and talk to President Putin, “Igor Zhovkva, Zelensky’s senior diplomatic adviser, told NBC’s Meet the Press.
- “All peace talks are good if they end in results,” Zhovkva said. “I really doubt that these peace talks, organized by the UN Secretary-General, will end in any result.”
- Zhovkva added that he believes that the UN is “lagging behind in Ukraine in terms of humanitarian support for my country. So
- “The UN is lagging behind in Ukraine in terms of humanitarian support for my country,” he said. “So it would be good for the UN Secretary-General to focus on these things as well.”
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