Lavrov: Guterres Turned Out to Be Subject of Pressure From West Regarding Situation in Ukraine

Previously, the UN secretary general stated that recognition of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics was a death blow to the Minsk agreements.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on Wednesday that UN chief Antonio Guterres "turned out to be subject to pressure from the West and recently made several statements about what is happening in eastern Ukraine that are at odds with his status and his powers under the UN Charter".

The diplomat told UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen during their meeting in Moscow that the secretary general has never spoken up in support of the Minsk agreements. The Russian minister highlighted that the UN secretariat should advocate impartiality in any crisis, including the Ukrainian issue.

Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General displayed on a screen at the Environment Ministry as he delivers his speech at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, April 28, 2020.

© AP Photo / Michael Kappeler

Lavrov noted that Russia has already briefed Guterres on Moscow's assessment of his statements through the Russian permanent representative to the United Nations in New York, Vasily Nebenzya. The Russian minister also asked Pedersen to convey the Russian assessment to the secretary general personally.

The statement came as Guterres claimed that the Russian troops deployed to Donbass would not be "peacekeepers" and said that Ukraine's attacks against people in the republics are not considered to be genocide.

The situation in Donbass has been deteriorating over the past few days, with attacks by Ukrainian forces causing mass evacuations in the DPR and LPR. In a bid to stop the conflict, Russia recognised both republics in the Donbass region as independent states and urged Ukraine to stop the escalation there.

Militia of the Angel volunteer peacekeeping unit evacuate Donbas refugees

© Sputnik / John Trast

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Addressing the situation in the region, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the events taking place in the Donbass are genocide, noting that Kiev violates human rights, including by legalising the discrimination of the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine. He stressed that the civilian population of Donbass is a target of everyday shelling by the Ukrainian military and a vicious blockade by Kiev.

Russia has also repeatedly slammed Kiev's for not implementing the Minsk agreements. In one of the latest instances, Ukrainian authorities decided to introduce a bill in parliament that would deny amnesty to those who had fought for the Donbass republics once the conflict is over. This is clearly at odds with the Minsk agreements, which clearly state that such amnesty must be provided for all people living in the areas once peace is achieved.