UNITED NATIONS, September 13. /TASS/. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he would gladly act as a mediator for organization of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, but he believes that this moment will not come soon.
"I would like to have a chance to be able to mediate in order to have peace talks, but I think we are far from that to be possible," he said during a press conference for reporters.
Guterres added that the peace settlement must be based on the UN Charter and norms of international law.
Russia has repeatedly stated its readiness to have negotiations with Ukraine on settlement of the conflict. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that the main obstructions to this process are the legally binding decree of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky that prohibits talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as Ukrainian initiatives that "prove Kiev’s complete detachment from modern reality," including the demand for withdrawal of Russian forces from Russia’s new regions.