UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who is visiting Japan, held a press conference in Tokyo and expressed the recognition that neither side could make concessions regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine, making it difficult to reach a ceasefire. He expressed his desire to lead to a breakthrough in the situation by providing practical mediation for humanitarian assistance.
UN Secretary-General Guterres, who was visiting Japan to attend the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony, held a press conference in Tokyo on the 8th.
Regarding the current situation of the protracted military invasion of Ukraine by Russia, he said, "Ukraine, which cannot accept the loss of territory, and Russia, which is trying to annex or make independent the occupied territories, will come to a compromise." A ceasefire is extremely difficult, and I am very worried that the war will be prolonged."
After that, he said, "The United Nations is providing strong humanitarian assistance, and we are ready to continue to provide practical mediation for the resolution of various problems." I showed the idea that I want to lead to a breakthrough.
Regarding the ongoing tensions caused by China's large-scale military exercises around Taiwan, he said, "While respecting the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on the principle of 'One China', I hope that the situation will be resolved peacefully. The important thing is for each of us to face it with common sense and self-restraint," he called for a calm response.
Secretary-General Guterres also touched on the issue of climate change and commented on the current situation in which some countries, including Japan, continue to finance coal-fired power generation, saying, “There is no such thing as clean coal-fired power. I hope that the government will completely stop funding for coal-fired power," he said, urging further efforts.