UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an end to the "absurd war" in Ukraine, warning that the conflict is “going nowhere, fast” and that the Ukrainian people are “enduring a living hell”.

He said there are no winners in this war and called for serious negotiations at a briefing from the platform at UN headquarters in New York.

"From my outreach with various actors, elements of diplomatic progress are coming into view on several key issues," Antonio Guterres said. According to him, "there is enough on the table to cease hostilities - now… and seriously negotiate - now".

“Even if Mariupol falls, Ukraine cannot be conquered city by city, street by street, house by house,” Guterres said. “This war is unwinnable. Sooner or later, it will have to move from the battlefield to the peace table.”