UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for diplomacy to defuse the heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
In a press conference, Guterres said he was deeply worried about the current tensions and increased speculation about a potential military conflict.
With Western powers and the Ukrainian Government voicing increasing concern over the likelihood of a Russian invasion, which Moscow has repeatedly denied it is planning, the UN chief said that “the price in human suffering, destruction, and damage to European and global security is too high to contemplate.”
“I will remain fully engaged in the hours and days to come. I just spoke this morning with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and Ukraine”, he added, saying that “abandoning diplomacy for confrontation is not a step over a line, it is a dive over a cliff.”
“In short, my appeal is this: Do not fail the cause of peace”, Mr. Guterres said, after an informal meeting with ambassadors of the Security Council, where Russia sits as a Permanent Member, along with the United States, China, France, and the United Kingdom.
According to news reports, there has been intense diplomatic activity throughout the day, with the leaders of the UK and the US, agreeing that a “window for diplomacy” remains open.
Russia’s foreign minister reportedly told Russian President Vladimir Putin that there was still room for at diplomatic de-escalation, while Ukraine’s President declared that Wednesday would be a national “Day of Unity”.
“I welcome the recent flurry of diplomatic contacts and engagements, including between Heads of State”, said Mr. Guterres: “But more needs to be done, and I expect all to intensify such efforts, noting that the world “simply cannot accept even the possibility of such a disastrous confrontation.”
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