It’s Just an Occasion for Hysteria: Zakharova

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, has stated that Ukraine has no right to dictate the will of the United Nations regarding the participation of the organization's Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the BRICS summit, and that his attendance at the event is merely an occasion for hysteria on Ukraine's part. Her comments were quoted by Sputnik.

Zakharova posed the question of why Ukraine thinks that the UN Secretary-General has no right to 'go somewhere, say something, and so on'.

“What right do you have to say that we should not gather, not meet, and not discuss issues? Especially to dictate the will of the United Nations. In this case, the United Nations has not given or transferred its protection, logos, and symbols to anyone without asking. The Secretary-General has taken advantage of the opportunity afforded to him and participated in this event,” said the Russian Foreign Ministry representative.

She also recalled that Guterres participates in similar events, thus the visit of the UN Secretary-General to Kazan is an occasion for hysteria from Kyiv.

Previously, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry labeled the decision of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to attend the BRICS summit in Kazan as 'incorrect'. According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Guterres' choice undermines the authority of the UN and does not contribute to the cause of peace.