Putin to meet UN chief in Russia to discuss Ukraine conflict, says Kremlin

Russia's President Vladimir Putin will meet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday to discuss the Ukraine conflict, in the UN chief's first trip to Russia in more than two years, the Kremlin said.

The meeting will take place on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in the central Russian city of Kazan, a forum Moscow hopes to use to show the West that attempts to isolate Russia over the Ukraine offensive have failed.

"It is expected that along with the activities of the UN, they will touch upon topical issues on the international agenda, including the Middle East crisis and the situation around Ukraine," the Kremlin said.

Guterres has repeatedly criticized Moscow's military offensive on Ukraine and said it sets a "dangerous precedent" for the world.

He has called for a "just peace" that respects international law and Ukraine's "territorial integrity."

During his last visit in April 2022, two months after Russia launched its offensive, Guterres had discussed with Putin proposals for humanitarian assistance and the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones, according to a UN readout of the meeting.

There are no signs that either Kyiv or Moscow is yet open to wider talks on a settlement to end the two-and-a-half-year conflict.

Putin has demanded Ukraine effectively capitulate by abandoning more territory in its south and east as a precondition to a ceasefire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has refused to countenance ceding land to secure a peace deal and ruled out direct talks with Putin.

Speaking at the United Nations last month, Zelensky told the Security Council -- of which Russia is a permanent member -- that Moscow "can only be forced into peace."