UN chief sceptical of Ukraine truce
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres does not see the possibility of concluding peace or achieving a comprehensive ceasefire in Ukraine at the moment.
"At the present moment, there are no immediate chances of a peace agreement or immediate chances for a global ceasefire," he told a news conference after a meeting with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen.
Asked if he understood Russia’s endgame following talks with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on April 26, Guterres said he did not, adding that he lacked "divining capabilities".
Countries should concentrate their diplomatic efforts on providing humanitarian aid and having civilians evacuated from the combat zones, he told reporters. It’s also necessary "to find a way" to bring "food production of Ukraine and food and fertiliser production of Russia" back to the global markets, he said.
Ukraine announced it will hold its first war crimes trial over the Russian "military operation", as Moscow accused Kyiv of shelling a Russian city in the war's latest flashpoint.
The conflict has devastated cities and displaced millions, with fears also growing of its broader international impact as gas supplies to Europe were disrupted by a halt in Russian flows through Ukraine.
Kyiv has repeatedly accused Russian troops of committing atrocities since their military operation began on February 24, and Ukrainian authorities said on Wednesday they would launch the first war crimes trial of the conflict.
The prosecutor general's office said Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old
Russian service member, is accused of killing an unarmed 62-year-old civilian as he fled with four other soldiers in a stolen car.
Shishimarin faces possible life imprisonment if found guilty.
The UN Human Rights Council was due to hold a special session on Ukraine yesterday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday that Russia hopes that after its targets of the current special military operation in Ukraine are reached, the West will halt its drive for the ‘unipolar world’ and stop violating the principles of the UN Charter.
"We hope that after our special military operation is completed and all of the set tasks within its frames are reached, it would help to stop West’s attempts to undermine the international law and to halt its blunt violations of the UN Charter provisions, including the principle of the sovereign rights of countries, and will force the West to stop promoting the so-called unipolar world dominated by the United States and its allies," Lavrov said at a news conference following his meeting with Foreign Minister of Oman Sayyid Badr Albusaidi in Oman capital city of Muscat.
The Russian foreign minister also said that the Russian authorities informed in detail the authorities of Oman about developments in Ukraine and about the country’s ‘geopolitical fraction’.
"We have informed in detail our partners from Oman on the developments [in Ukraine] in the context of the Russia’s special military operation and about the geopolitical fracture regarding this situation," the minister said.
"We believe that in regard to the ongoing situation in Ukraine, Oman assumed a weighted and balanced position, which, first of all, rests on national interests of their people’s interests," Lavrov added.
NATO decision by Finland, Sweden
Russia has been hit with a wave of punishing economic sanctions that have started to take a toll on its foreign exchange reserves.
But ramping up the embargoes has not been straightforward, with concern among some nations in Europe that rely on Russian gas.
Kyiv said on Wednesday that Russia had halted gas supplies through a key transit hub in the east.
The attack on Ukraine has also prompted Sweden and Finland to consider NATO membership.
Finland said yesterday it intended to apply to join NATO without delay, with Sweden likely to follow suit, as Russia's military operation in Ukraine reshapes European security and the Atlantic military alliance.
NATO allies expect Finland and Sweden to be granted membership quickly, five diplomats and officials said, paving the way for increased troop presence in the Nordic region during the one-year ratification period.
"Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay," President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin said in a joint statement in Helsinki. "We hope that the national steps still needed to make this decision will be taken rapidly within the next few days."
Sweden's government plans to submit an application to join NATO next week, daily Expressen said yesterday.