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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that peace talks in Ukraine are not possible for now. Guterres cited the resolve of both sides, convinced that they could win the war that has been going on for nearly 15 months.
In an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Pais that was published on Tuesday, Guterres said he does not see a possibility of peace talks in Ukraine for now, citing that both sides are convinced that they can win. Guterres told El Pais that the UN’s aim is to hold talks with Russia and Ukraine over concrete issues such as extending the Black Sea grain deal that is set to expire on May 18.
“Unfortunately, I believe that at this stage, a peace negotiation is not possible. Both sides are convinced that they can win,” said Guterres. “At the moment, I do not see any possibility of achieving immediately – we are not talking about the future – a comprehensive ceasefire, a negotiation.”
Guterres was also pressed on the mediation efforts by China and Brazil. The UN chief reiterated that achieving peace in the war could not happen for now but hoped that it would happen in the future. Guterres also praised Beijing’s position on opposing nuclear escalation, saying that it was “very important to avoid a temptation that would be an intolerable absurdity.”
Moscow has often suggested that it was willing to resort to nuclear attacks on Ukraine, with Russian leader Vladimir Putin warning that Russia was ready to use its nuclear arsenal to defend its so-called “territorial integrity.”
Meanwhile, the United States has announced a new round of military aid for Ukraine worth $1.2 billion. The new round of military aid includes air defense systems, artillery, and counter-drone ammunition, as well as satellite imagery services and additional funding for military training. Kyiv is also set to receive technology that would allow the integration of Western air defense launchers, missiles, and radar with Ukraine’s air defense systems.
“The Russians have launched waves of missiles into Ukraine, whose military has been adept at knocking them down,” said the US defense department in a statement. “The package also contains ammunition to shoot down unmanned aerial systems.”
Photo by International Maritime Organization/Wikimedia Commons(CC BY 2.0)
