Sending Letter To Presidents Putin And Zelensky, UN Secretary General Will Visit Moscow And Kyiv To Discuss Peace

Illustrated by PBB Antonio Guterres. (Wikimedia Commons / IAEA Imagebank)

JAKARTA - United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres plans to hold separate meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to bring about peace between the two countries.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said separate letters were sent to the permanent missions of Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday afternoon, asking President Putin to receive Guterres in Moscow and President Zelensky to receive him in Kyiv.

"The Secretary-General said, at this time of grave danger and consequence, he would like to discuss urgent steps to bring about peace in Ukraine and the future of multilateralism, based on the United Nations Charter and international law," Dujarric said in a statement, cited from Reuters April 21.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for a four-day Orthodox Easter humanitarian pause in the fighting in Ukraine, to allow safe passage for civilians to leave conflict areas, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid to hard-hit areas.

Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, the biggest offensive in a European country since 1945, has killed or injured thousands. More than 12 million people need humanitarian assistance in the country today, Guterres said.

Since starting what it calls special operations to demilitarize Ukraine, Russia has bombed cities to rubble and hundreds of civilian bodies have been found in towns after its troops withdrew.

However, Moscow denies targeting civilians and says, without evidence, that signs of atrocities have been staged. Meanwhile, Western countries and Ukraine accuse Putin of aggression without reason.

European Council President Charles Michel met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a surprise visit to Kyiv on Wednesday, following visits by other Western leaders, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

As for the President of the United States. Joe Biden said on Tuesday he did not know if he would travel to Kyiv after Ukraine's wartime leader asked him to visit.