Guterres calls for a ceasefire in Ukraine “as soon as possible”

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrives in Moscow and calls for a ceasefire in Ukraine, in words before his talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov receives United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (archive)

Pray United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres Today, Tuesday, during a visit to Moscow, a ceasefire in Ukraine “as soon as possible.”

“What concerns us in particular is finding ways to create appropriate conditions for an effective dialogue and for a ceasefire as soon as possible,” Guterres said before talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

He added that despite the complexities of the situation in Ukraine, “with different interpretations of what is happening there, it is possible to establish a serious dialogue on ways to work to alleviate the suffering of the population.”

After the meeting with Lavrov, Russian President Vladimir Putin will receive Guterres.

The UN Secretary-General is moving from Moscow to Kyiv, where he has been criticized for choosing to visit Moscow over Ukraine with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying he sees “no justice or any sense in this arrangement” of visits.

With the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine on February 24, the United Nations seemed marginalized in the context of this conflict for several reasons, including the estrangement caused by this crisis between the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, namely Russia, the United States, France, Britain and China.