UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he sees no immediate possibility of achieving a comprehensive ceasefire in war in Ukrainesince both sides are convinced that they can win, according to his interview published today by the Spanish newspaper El Pais.

Guterres, who is in Spain to receive the Charles V European Prize, told El Pais that the UN has instead focused on talks with both Russia and Ukraine to resolve specific issues such as extending the Black Sea grain agreement, the duration which expires May 18th.

“Unfortunately, I believe that at this stage, peace negotiations are impossible. Both sides are convinced they can winGuterres said.

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“At the moment, I do not see the possibility of achieving this immediately – this is not about the future – one complete ceasefirepeace talks,” he added.

Asked about mediation efforts by China or Brazilian President Lula, Guterres stressed that peace in the conflict could not be achieved at the moment, although he hoped that “in the future“.

Guterres also praised Beijing’s stance that nuclear escalation is “unacceptable”, saying that “it is very important to avoid the temptation that would be an unbearable absurdity”.

Source: APE-Reuters.