Antonio Guterres may have reason to regret that awkward handshake with a smiling Vladimir Putin and the hug with Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko, or indeed the decision to attend the BRICS summit on Russian soil.

UN chief Antonio Guterres told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday that his invasion of neighboring Ukraine violated the United Nations charter and international law, according to a readout of their meeting.

In his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in two years, UN chief António Guterres told Putin on Thursday that Russia's invasion of Ukraine violates international law. Guterres, who has been involved in peace efforts between the two sides since the early weeks of the conflict,