United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday urged a "just peace" in Ukraine, delivering his remarks in front of Russian President Vladimir Putin as he called for an end to more than two years of war.
Guterres was in Russia for the first time since April 2022 and was due to hold talks on Ukraine with President Vladimir Putin later in the day as part of the annual BRICS summit.
The UN chief addressed the summit on its final day, with Moscow aiming to use the forum to build a united front of emerging economies against the West.
"We need peace in Ukraine — a just peace in line with the UN Charter, international law, and the [UN] General Assembly resolution," Guterres said, stressing the importance of respecting "the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of all states."
Earlier on Thursday, Putin said Russia could not be defeated on the battlefield in Ukraine, dismissing what he called "illusionary" Western hopes.
"Our adversaries make no secret of their goal to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia," Putin said. "I will say directly: these are illusionary calculations, made by those who do not know Russia's history."
Guterres and Putin, who last met in April 2022 during Russia's siege of Mariupol, were set to meet later on Thursday for direct talks.
The meeting comes amid U.S. concerns over the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to Russia, with speculation that they may be sent to fight in Ukraine.
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