Zelensky refused UN General Secretary Guterres' visit to Ukraine after the UN chief's participation in the BRICS summit in russia — AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has refused to host United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Kyiv following his visit to Russia, where he was pictured shaking hands, smiling and bowing to Russian President Vladimir Putin, an official close to Zelensky said.

Guterres went to the city of Kazan, Russia, to attend the BRICS summit, where on the sidelines he met Putin — who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. After his visit to Russia, Guterres had planned to travel to Kyiv.

Zelensky criticized Guterres in an evening speech on Thursday that marked United Nations Day, in which he said it is “crucial” the world remembers the goals and principles of the U.N. Charter.

“Even if some officials prefer the allure of Kazan over the substance of the U.N. Charter, our world is structured so that the rights of nations and international legal norms matter, and will continue to matter", Zelensky said in his address.

“The UN Secretary General declined Ukraine’s invitation to the first global peace summit in Switzerland. He did, however, accept the invitation to Kazan from war criminal Putin,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry stated on Monday. “This is a wrong choice that does not advance the cause of peace. It only damages the UN’s reputation,” the post continued.

Not only Ukraine criticized Guterres over his visit.

Guterres’ move garnered various reactions, including from Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who indirectly challenged the U.N. head to step down.