Will there be a truce? Now UN chief António Guterres and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov are speaking out
2:24 p.m .: The Pk is over. Thanks for reading!
2:20 p.m.: Guterres is also asked about the situation in Afghanistan. He was in favor of continuing the dialogue. But important things must be respected, such as respect for women’s rights or free access to education.
2:17 p.m.: Lavrov is asked how he assesses the situation in Afghanistan. “We have indeed accredited a Taliban diplomat,” Lavrov said. But that does not mean diplomatic recognition of the Taliban. “We act according to the realities”.
2:16 p.m.: According to Lavrov, NATO and the West did not respond to Russian proposals this winter, Russia is now busy eliminating the dangers.
2:14 p.m.: According to Lavrov, the whole of Ukraine has been “oppressed”. The Russian language was banned and Nazi ideology and practice “implanted”, repeated the Foreign Minister. “It posed a threat to Russia.”
Lavrov: ‘Foreign arms deliveries are legitimate targets for us’
2:14 p.m .: Foreign arms shipments are a legitimate target for Russia, Lavrov repeated.
2:12 p.m.: Lavrov comments on the proposal to hold the next round of talks in Mariupol. “You better respond to our suggestions faster,” Lavrov said. Ukraine “likes to stage”.
2:10 p.m.: “The veto was an element to prevent escalation,” explains António Guterres. “But the element has been used too often in recent years,” the UN chief said. However, the permanent members of the Security Council will probably never abolish the right of veto. He is therefore in favor of enlarging the Security Council – precisely to avoid under-representation.
2:10 p.m.: It’s a “sound process” for a country to exercise its right of veto, Lavrov said.
2:08 p.m.: The Russian Foreign Minister would be in favor of the integration of more African or Asian countries in the bodies of the UN rather than in the Security Council.
2:07 p.m.: Lavrov is asked if the UN should be reformed. “The right of veto will not expire,” the Russian foreign minister clearly stated.
Guterres: “One thing is striking: there are no Ukrainian troops on the territory of Russia, but there are Russian troops in Ukraine”
2:05 p.m .: “One thing is striking: there are no Ukrainian troops on Russian territory, but there are Russian troops in Ukraine,” says António Guterres. “It’s true,” Lavrov replies harshly.
2:04 p.m.: Now Guiterres speaks. He regrets that the UN has not received a mandate to participate in the Normandy format. According to the Portuguese, the UN charter contains means with which Russia can solve its problems.
2:03 p.m.: “Our teams meet in Belarus and Turkey,” Lavrov said. He doesn’t need an intermediary. “We want a response to the document we gave to Ukraine a few days ago.”
2:02 p.m.: Lavrov accuses Ukraine of not pursuing peace talks. “We are for a ceasefire,” Lavrov said. “We are for negotiations”.
1:59 p.m.: “We are now in the moment of truth. No one wants war,” Lavrov says. He earnestly hopes that the UN will regain its role in maintaining “honest” dialogue. The West is blackmailing Russia with financial sanctions and other things, said Lavrov.
1:58 p.m.: The Russian Foreign Minister recalled that there is the Minsk agreement, which includes talks on the unresolved issue of Ukraine. But it was “directly sabotaged”. Lavrov complains that the UN did not react at the time.
1:57 p.m.: Lavrov complains that the UN General Assembly has condemned Russia. There was a real witch hunt in Russia.
1:55 p.m.: Guterres is asked about the establishment of an independent investigation into war crimes. “The UN can’t do it on its own, but I think it’s very important that we have independent investigators, like the International Criminal Court.”
Gurterres: “The only war we can wage is against what endangers our planet”
1:54 p.m.: “The only war we can wage is against what endangers our planet”, concludes António Guterres.
1:53 p.m.: The food crisis is a local problem, but it is also noticeable all over the world. “It is very important that the values of multilateralism are kept alive,” said António Guterres.
1:52 p.m.: The UN is ready to save the civilians of Mariupiol with the Red Cross. “It’s a tragedy there.”
1:51 p.m.: He suggested a “military contact group”, says António Guterres.
1:51 p.m.: It’s about “saving lives”. “I talked about repeated human rights violations,” he says. “We demanded escape routes that are actually followed.”
1:50 p.m.: Guterres now speaks: “We presented different perspectives,” says the UN chief.
1:49 p.m.: “Such open discussions are always very useful,” says Lavrov. Multilateralism is an important pillar.
1:48 p.m.: They also talked about the UN as such. According to the Russian Foreign Minister, Russia wants to work to make the UN truly a community of all states.
1:47 p.m.: Cooperation should and can be strengthened, according to Lavrov – whatever that means exactly.
1:46 p.m.: A working group has been set up to talk about humanitarian aid, Lavrov said. Such assistance has already been provided five times in Ukraine.
1:45 p.m.: Lavrov speaks again of “Nazi practice” in Ukraine. The UN has been briefed on Putin’s goals in Ukraine. These lie in the “protection of the peaceful population”. This is in line with the objectives of the UN.
1:44 p.m.: Guterres is his “colleague and friend”, Lavrov said. They talked about expanding eastward. Ukraine was “used” as a beachhead to contain Russia, Lavrov said.
1:43 p.m .: It begins: Lavrov speaks first. He says: “We are very grateful that the situation in Ukraine is not seen in isolation”
1:25 p.m.: We are still waiting for the two protagonists.
12:58 p.m.: There seems to be a lot to talk about. The press conference scheduled for 12:30 p.m. has been postponed again.
Two good months after the start of the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin will receive UN Secretary General António Guterres in Moscow on Tuesday. Besides an increased diplomatic role for the UN, the meeting in the Kremlin is expected to focus primarily on humanitarian access for the UN and safe escape routes for civilians, for example from the besieged city of Mariupol.
António Guterres first spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. A joint press conference between the two is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. FOCUS Online reports are available here.
UN chief Guterres Moscow calls for a ceasefire in Ukraine
12:33 p.m.: During his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, UN Secretary General António Guterres called for a quick ceasefire and an end to the war in Ukraine. The 72-year-old said at the start of a meeting in Moscow on Tuesday that he was interested in doing “everything possible” to end the war and the suffering of the people. The war is already having an impact on food and energy prices around the world, warned António Guterres.
That is why it is necessary to conduct dialogue and reach a ceasefire in order to find the conditions for a peaceful solution to the conflict, the UN chief said. He then wanted to talk to the head of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, about the war in Ukraine.
Minister Lavrov said that Ukraine has accumulated many problems that need to be solved. But Russia also wants to talk about the development of the UN as a whole. Lavrov complained that there were tendencies in the West to establish a monopolar world. Guterres replied that he was an outspoken supporter of a multipolar world.
Two months into the war in Ukraine, a larger diplomatic role for the United Nations is likely to be at stake, such as UN humanitarian access and safe escape routes for civilians. The focus is, for example, on the encircled steelworks of the besieged city of Mariupol. According to Ukrainian sources, around 1,000 civilians, including women and children, are waiting there.
After his stay in Russia, the UN Secretary General wishes to travel via Poland to Ukraine, where he wishes to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyj on Thursday. Guterres has recently come under pressure to take a more active role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24.