Not optimistic about peace talks in Ukraine war in near future: UN chief

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also voiced concern that the military confrontation in Ukraine will go on

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Monday he is not optimistic" about possibility of effective peace talks in the Ukraine war in the immediate future and voiced concern that the military confrontation will go on.

"I am not optimistic about the possibility of effective peace talks at the immediate future. I do believe that the military confrontation will go on and I think we will have still to wait a moment in which serious negotiations for peace will be possible, Guterres said Monday.

Guterres was responding to a question on whether he sees any opening at all for peace talks in Ukraine at his end of year press conference.

I don't see them in the immediate horizon and that is why we are concentrating our efforts on different other aspects, including in relation to increasing the efficiency of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, studying the possibility of adding new components to that initiative such as ammonia exports, accelerating the exchange of prisoners of war especially as the world approaches.

I can't imagine how dramatic it is to be a prisoner of war in another country, with the kind of war we are witnessing in Ukraine. So we will go on trying to be useful, offering platforms of dialogue for these aspects to minimize suffering but we have no illusions that a true peace negotiation would be possible in the immediate future.

In response to another question on the Ukraine war, Guterres underlined that when he said he does not see chances for true peace negotiation in the immediate horizon, he did not mean the whole of 2023. I strongly hope that in 2023, we'll be able to reach peace in Ukraine.

Guterres said the consequences of the war for the Ukrainian people, for the Russian society and economy, as well as for the global economy, especially for developing countries grappling with high prices of food, energy and increased inequalities are all reasons for us to do everything possible to make a peace solution happen before the end of 2023.