"At this time... it's not possible"

"At this time... it's not possible"

He added that currently both sides are confident that they can win.

"This was a Russian invasion against international law, against the Charter of the United Nations, but I don't see that Russia is willing to withdraw from the territories it has occupied at this moment, and I think that Ukraine hopes to retake them," said Guterres.

"What we are doing, to the extent possible, is dialogue with both sides in order to solve concrete problems," he said in an interview with El Pais.

He expressed the hope that there will be peace negotiations in the future, but added that at the moment both the Russian and Ukrainian sides are fully involved in the war, reminding that there was talk of a Russian winter offensive and that a Ukrainian counter-offensive is being announced for the spring.

When asked if arms deliveries to Ukraine were in line with the right to self-defense, Guterres said that it was clear that both sides had tried to acquire weapons, adding that this happens in wars.

"The goal is to enable, not immediately, but later, a peace that is just, in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations. But we are still far from that," Guterres believes.