The former Portuguese prime minister has little to offer the Russian ruler.
(Photo: IMAGO/Xinhua)
Geneva Finally, the Secretary General of the United Nations makes his way to Moscow. António Guterres wants to call for a ceasefire in Ukraine in the Russian capital on Tuesday.
The 72-year-old is likely to denounce the Russian war of aggression in politely packaged form, an armed conflict that he is convinced “cannot be won”. More than two months after the start of the invasion, the Secretary-General of the UN, whose primary goal is to maintain world peace, is now personally taking the initiative.
Guterres will have lunch with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on his mission, and he will be admitted to see President Vladimir Putin. Can Guterres convince the warlord Putin of a ceasefire or even a political solution to the Ukraine conflict? Diplomats doubt that. The chances of success are considered slim because the former Portuguese head of government has little to offer the Russian ruler. “Guterres comes empty-handed and I fear he will leave empty-handed,” said an ambassador to the UN in Geneva, who wished to remain anonymous.
As a minimum goal, Guterres will insist on undisturbed work for thousands of humanitarian workers in Ukraine. “We need safe, unhindered access to all areas,” Guterres demands for his employees, who risk their lives every day. But even if Putin promises relief, Guterres cannot take the Kremlin chief’s word for it. Putin has too often tricked, deceived and lied to his interlocutors. Why should the ruler fulfill the wishes of the UN Secretary-General?
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The socialist Guterres is not very popular in Moscow
In any case, Guterres is not very popular in Moscow. Because the socialist from Lisbon and devout Catholic condemned the Putin invasion with clear words as a “violation of the United Nations Charter”. The war led to “a senseless loss of life, massive devastation in cities and the destruction of civilian infrastructure”. Guterres called the massacre in Bucha, allegedly carried out by Russian units, “appalling”.
As clearly as the UN Secretary-General addressed these atrocities, he remained passive for a long time when it came to possible peace negotiations. The Secretary-General’s inaction went so far that former UN officials openly called for an active role. Otherwise, the United Nations would become “more and more irrelevant” and face the fate of the hapless League of Nations. The League of Nations dissolved itself after World War II, which it was unable to prevent.
In fact, it was not until early April that Guterres commissioned UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths to explore the chances of a ceasefire in Russia and Ukraine. And just last week, a UN spokesman announced that Guterres had asked the presidents of Russia and Ukraine to meet in their capitals.
According to previous plans, Guterres will speak to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Thursday. Selenski promptly criticized Guterres for going to Moscow first – and not to Kyiv first. “Why?” Selenski was outraged. “To transmit signals from Moscow?”
More: Comment: The power of Russia, the impotence of the United Nations