Moscow (Times Of Ocean)- Secretary-General António Guterres said in Moscow on Tuesday that conditions for a ceasefire in Ukraine need to be created as soon as possible.
In a meeting with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Guterres said, “We are extremely interested in finding ways to create the conditions for effective dialogue, a ceasefire as soon as possible, and a peaceful solution.”.
Later, he was scheduled to meet with President Vladimir Putin.
António Guterres has travelled to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in an attempt to put the U.N. at the heart of Ukrainian mediation efforts.
The Ukraine has criticized Guterres for not visiting Kyiv first and for failing to intervene decisively before Russia invaded on 24 February.
The UN chief met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before traveling to Russia to reiterate their “common objective” of ending the war in Ukraine.
Following Guterres’ meeting with Erdogan in Ankara, the UN said the leaders “emphasized the urgent need for safe access through humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians and deliver much needed aid to impacted communities.”
At the meeting, Guterres expressed support for Turkey’s “ongoing diplomatic efforts in relation to the war in Ukraine,” noting that he and Erdogan had “agreed to stay in touch to follow up on ongoing initiatives.”
However, Turkey’s Erdogan has urged his Russian counterpart Putin to hold direct talks with Ukraine’s Peresidnet Volodymyr Zelensky.
The talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul on March 29 were seen as a breakthrough in efforts to end hostilities that began on Feb. 24.