Activities of Secretary-General in Russian Federation, 19-21 June

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Moscow from Oslo, Norway, on Tuesday evening, 19 June.

On Wednesday morning, the Secretary‑General had an audience with His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russians, with whom he discussed social inequality and the need to help the poorest, among other topics.  He also attended the World Cup match between Portugal and Morocco, at the invitation of President Vladimir V. Putin.

He then met with President Putin at the Kremlin.  After the meeting, the Secretary‑General attended the Bolshoi Theatre for a performance of Act III of La Traviata, again at the invitation of the President.

On Thursday, the Secretary‑General met Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov in the morning and they held a press encounter right after.

In the afternoon, he spoke to the Valdai Discussion Club and met with the heads of the United Nations agencies present in the Russian Federation to commemorate 70 years of United Nations presence in the country.  He also had an interview with Russia Today.

The Secretary‑General departed Moscow for New York on Thursday evening.