At the start of the meeting in Moscow on Tuesday, he said he was interested in doing “everything possible” to end the war and the suffering of the people. The war is already having an impact on food and energy prices worldwide, Guterres warned.
That is why it is necessary to conduct dialogue and reach a ceasefire in order to find the conditions for a peaceful solution to the conflict, said the UN chief. He then also wanted to speak to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine.
Minister Lavrov said that Ukraine has accumulated many problems that need to be resolved. But Russia also wants to talk about the development of the United Nations as a whole. Lavrov complained that there were tendencies in the West to establish a monopolar world. Guterres replied that he was an avowed supporter of a multipolar world.
Two months after the start of the war in Ukraine, a greater diplomatic role for the United Nations is likely to be at stake, such as the UN’s humanitarian access and safe escape routes for civilians. The focus is, for example, on the encircled steelworks in the besieged city of Mariupol. According to Ukrainian sources, around 1,000 civilians, including women and children, are waiting there.
After his stay in Russia, the UN Secretary-General wants to travel via Poland to Ukraine, where he wants to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyj on Thursday. Guterres has recently come under pressure to take a more active role in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Source: Nachrichten
