The US government believes that the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, is too willing to accommodate Russian interests, according to classified documents leaked online. The documents, which contain candid observations from Mr Guterres about the war in Ukraine and a number of African leaders, were leaked online by a gun enthusiast in his 20s who worked on a military base. Mr Guterres is described as being so keen to preserve the Black Sea grain deal, brokered by the UN and Turkey in July following fears of a global food crisis, that he was willing to accommodate Russia’s interests. UN officials have said that Mr Guterres has made his opposition to Russia’s war in Ukraine very clear.
The leaked documents contain private communications involving Mr Guterres and his deputy. UN officials have bristled at the suggestion that the world’s top diplomat is being soft on Moscow, saying that the UN is “driven by the need to mitigate the impact of the war on the world’s poorest.” They argue that this means doing what they can to drive down the price of food and to ensure that fertiliser is accessible to those countries that need it the most. Russia has frequently complained that its own exports of grain and fertiliser are being adversely affected by international sanctions and has threatened to suspend co-operation with the grain deal unless its concerns are addressed.
It is well known that the US is among a number of nations which routinely spy on the UN, but when the products of that espionage come to light, it is highly embarrassing and potentially damaging for the world’s leading diplomat. The US government has said that it is scrambling to get to the bottom of the leaks and is assessing the national security implications. It is also conducting a criminal investigation. US national security spokesperson John Kirby has said that the authenticity of some of the documents has yet to be established, but they “certainly appear to have come from various sources of intelligence across the government”.
Source: BBC
