The UN has been criticized since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The international organization would be absent and play no significant role, while the UN was founded for that very reason.
Much of that criticism is aimed – as usual – at the UN Security Council. Since Russia has a veto as a permanent member (as do the US, China, England and France), Putin can easily block UN decisions – such as calling for its military to withdraw from Ukraine.
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Guterres under fire
But there is also criticism of Secretary-General Guterres. He is accused of showing himself too little in the conflict. “Senior UN diplomats tell me they don’t think he’s good enough,” says diplomatic expert Van de Roer. “Indeed, he is not a diplomatic pope like one of his predecessors Kofi Annan. He lacks moral authority for that.”
Van de Roer is critical of Guterres, who Thursday Ukrainian President Zelensky visits in Kiev. “Guterres did not condemn Putin’s invasion sharply from the outset or declare his solidarity with Ukraine. Why is he only now going to Kiev and not to Mariupol to show solidarity with the victims of this war? The UN is a symbol of peace and human rights, but Guterres has so far failed to take that role.”
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bad relationship
Relations between Putin and Guterres cooled to well below freezing when Guterres said in February that Russia’s invasion had violated Ukraine’s sovereignty and thereby the UN charter. A month later, the UN chief spoke of an “absurd war” that was “morally unacceptable, politically indefensible and militarily nonsensical.”
Since then, there have been rumors that Putin no longer picks up the phone when Guterres calls. Putin also ignored the UN Secretary-General’s request for a four-day ceasefire around Orthodox Easter. It makes today’s meeting spicy. Van de Roer: “Guterres faces the toughest task of his career: is he a world leader who can influence Putin? Or will he remain a gray bureaucrat who joins other failed visitors such as Macron? In a sense, this is an exam for Guterres.”
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‘Doesn’t benefit from diplomacy’
He himself does not have high expectations. “He can push for a ceasefire and more humanitarian aid. But Guterres’s chances are limited: both Russia and Ukraine do not benefit from diplomacy at the moment. The Russians have not won anything yet, and Ukraine has the wind in its sails militarily.” now it gets a lot of international support and fights for survival. It’s kind of a deadlock. His visit comes late.”
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