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UN secretary-general fears ‘prolonged’ conflict in Ukraine

Antonio Guterres said has "very worried" about the possibility of having a "prolonged" conflict

TOKYO, August 8. /TASS/. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres fears that the events in Ukraine may evolve into a prolonged conflict, the official told reporters in Tokyo on Monday.

The UN head said has "very worried" about the possibility of having a "prolonged" conflict, "which is causing enormous suffering and is having a very negative impact on the global economy."

"The difficult thing in relation to a ceasefire comes from a simple fact that <…> it is not possible to reconcile the two positions [of Moscow and Kiev]," he said.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a special military operation following a request for help from the leaders of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow's plans did not include an occupation of Ukrainian territories, its goals being the demilitarization and denazification of the country. In response, the West began to gradually introduce sweeping sanctions against Moscow and to supply weapons and military equipment to Kiev estimated at billions of dollars.