Pentagon leaks: US thinks UN head Guterres too accommodating to Moscow, files suggest

The US government believes the UN Secretary General is too willing to accommodate Russian interests, according to fresh revelations in classified documents leaked online.

The files suggest Washington has been closely monitoring Antonio Guterres.

Several documents describe private communications involving Mr Guterres and his deputy.

It is the latest from a leak of secret documents, which US officials are scrambling to get to the bottom of.

The documents contain candid observations from Mr Guterres about the war in Ukraine and a number of African leaders.

One leaked document focuses on the Black Sea grain deal, brokered by the UN and Turkey in July following fears of a global food crisis.

It suggests that Mr Guterres was so keen to preserve the deal that he was willing to accommodate Russia's interests, even if they involved individuals or companies under Western sanctions.

According to Washington's assessment, his actions were undermining broader efforts to hold Moscow accountable for its actions in Ukraine.

Another document from mid-February describes a frank conversation between Mr Guterres and his deputy, Amina Mohammed.

In it, Mr Guterres expresses dismay at a call from EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for Europe to produce more weapons and ammunition as a result of the war in Ukraine.

The two also talk about a recent summit of African leaders. Ms Mohammed says that Kenya's president, William Ruto, is ruthless and she doesn't trust him.

It is well known that the US spies on the UN, but when the products of that spying come to light, it's highly embarrassing and, for the world's leading diplomat, potentially damaging.

The trove of documents circulating online has included other highly sensitive details about the war in Ukraine, and indications that the US has eavesdropped on its allies.

The first screenshots of the documents the BBC has been able to verify were posted on 1 March. More appeared a few days later.

They appeared on Discord - a social media platform popular with gamers - and were shared on several discussion channels.

Discord said on Wednesday that it was cooperating with law enforcement in its investigation into the leak.

"In regards to the apparent breach of classified material, we are cooperating with law enforcement. As this remains an active investigation, we cannot provide further comment at this time," it said in a statement.

US national security spokesperson John Kirby told the BBC that the US government was attempting to get to the bottom of the leaks.

"This was a series of dangerous leaks. We don't know who's responsible, we don't know why. And we are assessing the national security implications, and right now there is also a criminal investigation," he said during President Joe Biden's trip to Belfast on Wednesday.

"We want to get to the bottom of this, we want to find out who did this and why."

Washington was "reaching out actively" to allies to answer questions they have about the leaks, so they know "how seriously we are taking this", he added.

Mr Kirby said that while the authenticity of some of the documents had yet to be established, they "certainly appear to have come from various source of intelligence across the government".