UN chief urges diplomatic solution to Ukraine crisis

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned Monday it was time to defuse tensions between Russia and the West over the Ukraine crisis, saying he was deeply worried about the threat of conflict.

The time is now to defuse tensions and de-escalate actions on the ground, said Guterres, who earlier spoke to the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine and expressed his serious concern over the situation.

Calling for an end to incendiary rhetoric, the UN secretary-general told reporters he was deeply worried by the heightened tensions and increased speculation about a potential military conflict in Europe.

We simply cannot accept even the possibility of such a disastrous confrontation, he said, insisting that there is no alternative to diplomacy.

Guterres called on all parties to respect the UN Charter and refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.

Abandoning diplomacy for confrontation is not a step over a line, it is a dive over a cliff, he said.

The Security Council is due Thursday to hold an annual meeting on Ukraine and the Minsk agreements, which sought to end the war in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine.

ARR