Calling Peace Talks on the Ukraine Conflict Impossible to Do Now, UN Secretary General: Both Sides Are Confident They Can Win

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. (Wikimedia Commons/IAEA Imagebank)

JAKARTA - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he does not see the possibility of reaching a comprehensive ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, as both sides are confident of winning, according to an interview published by Spanish newspaper El Pais on Tuesday.

Secretary General Guterres, who was in Spain to receive the Charles V European Award, said the United Nations was focusing on talks with Russia and Ukraine to resolve concrete issues, such as extending the Black Sea grain deal which is due to expire on May 18.

"Unfortunately, I believe that at this stage, peace negotiations are not possible. Both sides are confident that they can win," the UN secretary-general said, quoted by Reuters, May 10.

"Right now, I don't see any possibility of reaching soon, we are not talking about a future, comprehensive ceasefire, a negotiated peace," he added.

Russian troops launched a new offensive in Ukraine on Tuesday, as Moscow marked the anniversary of Nazi Germany's defeat in World War II in 1945.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 23 of the 25 missiles fired, mainly at the capital Kyiv, officials said.

The strikes, the fifth in May, came a day after Russia launched its largest drone strike in months, hitting Kyiv and the Black Sea city of Odesa and pounding other cities as Ukraine prepared to counterattack.

Asked about mediation efforts by China or Brazilian leader Lula, Secretary-General Guterres emphasized that achieving peace in this conflict is not possible at the moment, although he hopes "in the future it will be".

He also praised Beijing's position on nuclear escalation as "unacceptable", describing it as "absolutely important to avoid the temptation to turn into intolerable absurdity".

It is known that nuclear tensions have soared since the Russian invasion, as President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned that Moscow is ready to use its nuclear arsenal, if necessary, to maintain its "territorial integrity".