The UN Secretary-General has told Russian President Vladimir Putin that "a just peace" is needed to end the war in Ukraine.
Appearing alongside Putin at a BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan, Antonio Guterres called on the Russian leader to agree to a peace deal "in accordance with the UN Charter, international law and UN General Assembly resolutions."
It is understood that this call comes after Chinese President Xi Jinping claimed that China and Brazil both have peace plans for the war in Ukraine.
He told Putin and other leaders at the three-day summit that they aim to gather further international support in the hope of ending the fighting.
"We must uphold the three main principles: no expansion of battlefields, no escalation of hostilities, and de-escalation of tensions," Xi said.
Otherwise, the BRIC coalition was formed in 2009, bringing together Brazil, Russia, India and China.
South Africa joined in 2010, changing its name to BRICS sky news, the Telegraph reports.
It was largely ignored at first - but has since grown in membership and influence with Russia's war in Ukraine and Iran's involvement in the wars in Gaza, Israel and Lebanon dominating global geopolitics.
By contrast, just weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Putin and Xi signed a "borderless" partnership between their two countries.
However, Beijing has remained largely silent on the war in Ukraine.
Guterres has not visited Russia in more than two years, and the decision drew criticism from Ukrainian officials.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said ahead of the summit that the trip "would only damage the UN's reputation."
"This is a wrong choice that does not advance the cause of peace," the ministry said.
Meanwhile, Farhan Haq, Guterres' spokesman, responded by saying it is "standard practice to attend meetings of organizations with a large number of important member states, such as the G7 and G20" - noting that the BRICS countries represent "half of the world's population".
Notably, there was also the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who hopes to enter the European Union.
Appearing alongside BRICS members, Guterres also called for peace in Gaza, Lebanon and Sudan. /Telegraph/
