UN chief Antonio Guterres tells Russian foreign minister ceasefire in Ukraine is needed

Ukrainian president criticises secretary general's decision to go to Russia before Kyiv visit

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday in an effort to find a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine.

Mr Guterres laid out his aims for the talks to Mr Lavrov before the meeting started.

He told Mr Lavrov the UN is “extremely interested in finding ways to create the conditions for effective dialogue, create the conditions for a ceasefire as soon as possible, and create the conditions for a peaceful solution".

Mr Lavrov said the situation in Ukraine has “become a catalyst for a great number of problems” which had built up over the decades in the European and Atlantic regions.

At a joint press conference after the talks, Mr Lavrov reiterated his government’s accusations that the administration in Ukraine was trying to ban the Russian culture and language, and had been promoting Nazi ideology through it laws.

The claims have been dismissed by analysts.

Mr Lavrov poured cold water on Kyiv's proposal to hold peace talks in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, and said it was too early to talk about who would mediate any negotiations.

He said Russia was committed to a diplomatic solution in talks on Ukraine, but said it was “depressing” the way the Kyiv delegation and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were behaving.

Mr Lavrov said Moscow was ready to co-operate with the UN to help civilians in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a meeting with the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in Moscow. AFP

“Our goals are primarily to protect the civilian population and here we are ready to co-operate with our colleagues from the UN to alleviate the plight of the civilian population,” Mr Lavrov said.

Mr Guterres told reporters at the press conference that their discussion on the Ukraine crisis had been “very frank”.

He said he was concerned by reports that humans rights violations and war crimes may have been committed in Ukraine, and said the battle for the Donbas had brought “tremendous death and destruction” to eastern Ukraine.

He said effective humanitarian corridors were urgently needed to move civilians out of under-fire areas and called for a ceasefire.

Mr Guterres said the UN stands ready to move civilians tout of the besieged city of Mariupol.

“The sooner peace is established the better for the sake of Ukraine, Russia and for the world,” he said.

The UN chief acknowledged differences in opinions in Kyiv and Moscow, but pointed out that there are Russian tanks in Ukraine but no Ukrainian tanks in Russia.

He also said it was clear that Russia had “many grievances” with the UN.

“There is one thing that is true and obvious and that no argument can change: we have not Ukrainian troops in the territory of the Russian Federation but we have Russian troops in the territory of the Ukrainian Federation.”

Mr Lavrov said: “That is true, I confirm that.”

Germany on Tuesday did a U-turn on its approach to heavy weapons for Ukraine and announced it would send military vehicles.

Following domestic and international criticism, Berlin authorised the shipment of about 50 anti-aircraft missile carriers in response to appeals from Kyiv.

The shift came as Nato and EU defence ministers gathered in Germany to discuss further military assistance for the former Soviet nation.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin opened the meeting by declaring that ministers collectively believed Ukraine could win the war.

Before his meeting with Mr Guterres in Moscow, Mr Lavrov told his guest that he wanted to speak about the need for multilateralism and the work of the UN.

Mr Lavrov accused the West of neglecting the principles of multilateralism.

“These principles of true multilateralism have, for a number of years, been flouted by the West that has undertook the tactics of instilling into the world arena the unilateral world order for it to stay for good,” he said through a translator.

Mr Guterres responded by describing himself as a “very committed multilateralist based on the values of the UN Charter and international law”.

He said despite the UN and Moscow having different perspectives on the war in Ukraine, both sides could work together to minimise the suffering of the people there.

“I know that we have … different interpretations about what's happening in Ukraine,” he said during his first visit to Russia since the invasion of Ukraine.

“That does not limit the possibility to have a very serious dialogue on how best we can work to minimise the suffering of people.”

The UN chief said he was also eager to find ways to reduce the impact of the conflict on other parts of the world.

He said that many countries faced “dramatic impacts of the war” efforts were needed to shield them from knock-on effects in areas such as food security, energy and finance.

He stressed his commitment “to do everything possible to end the war as soon as possible".

Mr Guterres will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks later on Tuesday.

He will travel to Kyiv after his talks in Moscow have concluded.

Mr Zelenskyy criticised his decision to go to Russia before Ukraine, arguing there was “no justice and no logic” in it.

He said it was “simply wrong” for the UN secretary general to hold talks with Russian officials before meeting the Ukrainians.

Mr Guterres has accused the Russian government of violating the UN Charter by sending troops into Ukraine, and has repeatedly demanded a ceasefire.

Mr Lavrov on Monday said there was a realistic chance of a third world war breaking out because of the violence in Ukraine.

“The danger is serious, it is real, you can't underestimate it,” he told the Interfax news agency.

However, he said he felt confident that a ceasefire could be achieved between Moscow and Kyiv.

James Heappey, Britain’s armed forces minister, dismissed Mr Lavrov’s comments as bravado.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres visits Borodyanka, near Kyiv, where Russian forces are accused of killing civilians. AFP

Children play in the wreckage of a Russian armoured vehicle in Lukashivka, Chernihiv region, northern Ukraine. The village has been retaken by Ukrainian forces. EPA

A cyclist passes a destroyed building in Derhachi village, near besieged city Kharkiv, in north-eastern Ukraine. AFP

Burnt-out wreckage of a tank in Kolychivka village, Chernihiv region, northern Ukraine. EPA

A Ukrainian flag flies in a park in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine. A rocket attack on the city railway station earlier in April killed at least 50 people. AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses a meeting of MPs in St Petersburg. EPA

Youngsters Faddei and Oleksandr play in front of a church damaged during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in the Chernihiv region. Reuters

A demonstrator turns emotional as she attends a rally in Kyiv demanding a humanitarian corridor to rescue civilians from Mariupol. Reuters

A Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-25 releases decoy flares as it provides air support to Ukrainian ground forces near central city of Yampil. AFP

An officer from National Guard of Ukraine surveys weapons left behind by Russian troops in Chernobyl. AFP

Mr Putin attends a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in Moscow. Reuters

Members of a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency carry equipment as they arrive at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, in Chernobyl, Ukraine. AP

Ukrainian troops fire rockets from the city of Popasna, near Luhansk. EPA

Lithuanian musician Darius Mazintas plays a piano in front of the Central House of Culture destroyed during Russia's invasion, in the town of Irpin, outside Kyiv. Reuters

Ukrainian refugees Julia, second left, 32, and Miroslava, left, 11, walk away with relatives who received them after they crossed into Poland from Ukraine at the Dorohusk border. AFP

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meets Mr Guterres in Moscow. AFP

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Mark Milley, left, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, second left, and Ukrainian Minister of Defence Oleksii Reznikov, right, attend the Ukraine Security Consultative Group meeting at Ramstein airbase in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany. Getty Images

Smoke rises from an oil terminal hit by fire in Bryansk, Russia. AP

People take pictures by the wreckage of a Russian military vehicle, in the village of Rusaniv, Kyiv region. Reuters

Smoke rises above the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works plant amid fighting in Mariupol, Ukraine. Reuters

People carry a large Ukrainian flag as they attend a rally to mark the 77th anniversary of Liberation Day in Milan, Italy. The day remembers Italians who fought against the Nazis and Mussolini's troops during the Second World War. EPA

A Ukrainian soldier looks at a Russian ballistic missile's booster stage that fell in a field in Bohodarove, eastern Ukraine. AFP

People watch as a residential building burns after Russian bombardment in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the Orthodox Easter service at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. EPA

A young girl in front of people carrying a huge Ukrainian flag during a peaceful demonstration entitled 'Solidarity with Ukraine' in Krakow, Poland. Reuters

A boy stands next to a wrecked vehicle in front of an apartment damaged during the conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol. Reuters

This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows damage at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, Ukraine. AP

A Ukrainian man rides in front of a destroyed building in Kharkiv which had been shelled by the Russians. EPA

A Ukrainian Territorial Defence fighter in a shelter with an Easter Cake near Kharkiv. Ukrainians mark Orthodox Easter today. EPA

Residents receive Easter cakes and apples handed out by pro-Russian troops on Easter Day at the Svyato-Troitsky Church in the southern port city of Mariupol. Reuters

A woman photographs the scene of yesterday's shelling in the southern Ukraine city of Odesa. Eight people were killed, including a three-month child, and about 20 were wounded. EPA

A military chaplain blesses Ukrainian soldiers on the occasion of Orthodox Easter not far from the city of Izyum in Kharkiv. EPA

An internally displaced man walks with dogs in the Palace of Culture, which was damaged by shelling in Rubizhne, eastern Ukraine. AFP

Tulips grow next to a building destroyed by shelling in Rubizhne. AFP

Internally displaced people wait to receive food inside a factory that has been turned into a shelter, in Severodonetsk. AFP

Members of the Ukrainian Red Cross carry a woman, 92, to an ambulance from a bunker at a factory in Severodonetsk. AFP

Ambulance workers move an injured Ukrainian serviceman to a hospital in Donetsk. AP

A woman sits inside a subway station that has been turned into a shelter, on the outskirts of second largest Ukrainian city, Kharkiv. AFP

Residents shelter in a subway station in Kharkiv. AFP

Anastasiya Kryvoho attends a candlelight vigil for Ukraine on the Orthodox Holy Saturday, in Toronto, Canada. Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses a press conference with international media in an underground metro station in Kyiv. AFP

Firefighters work at the scene of a fire after shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine. EPA

A family from Myrne, a town occupied by Russian forces, wait to register with police at an evacuation point for people fleeing from Mariupol, Melitopol and surrounding towns. Getty Images

Oleksandr, 25, meets his parents Olga, 49, and Oleksandr, 50, who fled from the Russian-occupied village of Lyubimivka, at the evacuation point in Zaporizhzhia. EPA

Residents walk near a damaged military vehicle in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Mariupol. AP

A heavily damaged apartment building in Horenka. Getty Images

Residents wrapped in blankets stand near their houses damaged by Russian shelling in Odesa. AP

A Ukrainian flag is installed on top of a gob pile in Lysychans, eastern Ukraine. AFP

A Ukrainian soldier rests at a checkpoint in Severodonetsk. AFP