“This war will not last forever,” said the UN Secretary-General. The moment for peace negotiations will come again and his office will also be ready for this, “but that is not immediately on the horizon,” Guterres said. In view of the dramatic loss of life and the destruction in Ukraine, one should never give up hope.
The UN has primarily focused on evacuating civilians and establishing humanitarian corridors, Guterres said, referring to the fighting in Mariupol. There is still a lot of room for diplomacy here. In addition, the UN wants to find ways of bringing food and fertilizer from Ukraine to world markets.
Van der Bellen thanked Guterres for his trip to Moscow and Kyiv, which had been successful given the situation in Mariupol. Austria, as a neutral state, will do everything possible to offer its mediation services in order to come to a lasting peace once the situation calms down, said Van der Bellen. The UN is “indispensable” for exchange at international level in numerous forums.
Van der Bellen warns of “serious effects”
Van der Bellen also warned of “serious effects” in view of the impending food shortages as a result of blocked exports. For the time being, Europe reacted united and united, it was important not to be divided. “It is part of the problem that we are left in the dark about the war’s aims,” said the Federal President. He has the impression that Russia has changed its war aims. The march on Kyiv has “now become a south-east bypass”.
Guterres and Van der Bellen both warned against losing sight of the fight against climate change against the background of the war in Ukraine. Guterres warned that the global community could miss the 1.5 degree target for limiting global warming. One lesson from the war is that the sooner you get rid of fossil fuels, the better protected you are against disruption.
Russian President Vladimir “Putin is accelerating the phase-out of fossil fuels,” said Van der Bellen. However, something is only gained for climate protection if these are not replaced by coal or other fossil fuels. Whether the war would ultimately have a positive impact on climate protection is now an open question for him, said the Federal President. In any case, there is a danger that the war will postpone climate problems, but “we don’t have any more time”.
Until Friday, Guterres will chair the spring meeting of the United Nations’ highest coordination and strategy body, which will be held under Guterres’ leadership at the UN headquarters in Vienna. In the afternoon, working talks are planned with Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and President of the National Council Wolfgang Sobotka (all ÖVP).
Before that, the UN Secretary-General and the Federal President will take part in a discussion event at the Vienna University of Technology on the subject of the energy transition. There will be a visit to the Plus-Energy office building and a meeting with pupils and students.
Source: Nachrichten
