UN chief Guterres meets PM Modi; discusses West Asia, Ukraine conflicts — SkimNews
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- Antonio Guterres met Narendra Modi in New Delhi on September 11, 2026, on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS summit that Delhi is hosting on September 12-13.
- The two leaders held a "wide-ranging discussion" on conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine and the impact both are having on the global economy, including access to food and fertiliser.
- Guterres reaffirmed the principle of freedom of navigation during the meeting, per the office of the UN Secretary-General's spokesperson.
- Modi and Guterres also exchanged views on what the UN statement called "the growing danger of lethal autonomous weapons."
- The leaders discussed the priorities of India's presidency of BRICS, including the need for multilateral institutions that "clearly reflect the realities of the world in the 21st century."
- Guterres has been invited to speak at the BRICS Open Session on 'Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth' on September 13.
- Guterres's second five-year tenure as UN chief ends in December 2026, and he had previously visited India in February for the India-AI Impact Summit 2026.
Why it matters: With Guterres's second term expiring in December 2026, this is one of the closing-set diplomatic moments for the current UN chief. As host of the 18th BRICS summit, India is using the platform to push for multilateral reform reflecting 21st-century realities, while the discussion of freedom of navigation and lethal autonomous weapons extends the agenda beyond the headline conflicts.
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