UN Secretary General visited many places in Ukraine

UN Secretary-General Guterres during his visit to the town of Borodianka near Kiev on April 28 – Photo: AFP

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited locations in the Kiev region.

Under the escort of soldiers Ukraine accompanied by international media, Mr. Guterres visited Borodianka, a town in the Kiev region.

President Zelensky described the situation in Borodianka as more serious than what happened in Bucha.

Standing in front of several buildings damaged and blackened by smoke, Mr Guterres called war “an absurdity in the 21st century”, according to AFP news agency.

The UN Secretary-General is expected to meet Ukraine’s leader Zelensky after his trips to these locations.

Russia denies all accusations that it murdered Ukrainian civilians, saying it was a Ukrainian scheme. High-level talks have not been able to take place after the controversy between the two sides around the issue.

Guterres faced some criticism and disappointment from Ukrainian officials when he decided to go to Russia first and then Ukraine. In fact, before going to Moscow, the UN secretary-general visited Turkey, which plays the role of mediator in promoting peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Observers said that with his visit to Russia and Ukraine, Mr. Guterres is trying to regain the initiative of the United Nations in Ukraine, in the context of which the organization is widely criticized and demanded for reform.