UN says peace negotiations to end conflict in Ukraine currently not feasible

Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, has stated that it is currently not feasible to achieve peace negotiations to end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The statement was shared during an interview published in the Spanish daily El Pais on Tuesday, May 09, 2023.

The declaration comes as the leaders of Russia and Ukraine marked the end of World War II by calling for victory.

During the Red Square Victory Day parade in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin alleged that a “war” had been unleashed against Russia and declared that the world was at a “turning point”. The day before, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised that Russian forces would be defeated “just as Nazism was defeated.”

Reacting to the statements, Guterres said: “It is clear that the (two) parties are completely absorbed in this war” and “are convinced that they can win”. The UN chief expressed hope that it would be possible “in the future” to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table.

“The Russian invasion of Ukraine… cause the country and its population suffering and massive destruction and add to the global economic disruption provoked by the Covid-19 pandemic,” Guterres was quoted as saying. “That’s why we have to raise our voice and reaffirm our values. And above all, we need peace,” added the 74-year-old former prime minister of Portugal.

Guterres was awarded the Carlos V European Award on Tuesday. The accolade is given to individuals or organisations that have contributed to the enrichment of Europe’s cultural and historical values or to EU integration.

However, the diplomat emphasised that despite the current circumstances, the United Nations is committed to doing everything in its power to encourage Kiev and Moscow to engage in negotiations.