UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz)

In a statement issued at UN headquarters in New York on Monday, Guterres said the conflict continues to threaten regional and global peace and security and any resolution must follow international law, the UN Charter and respect Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. “The United Nations remains ready to contribute to all efforts towards this end,” Guterres said.

The European Union failed on Monday to pass new sanctions on Russia after a surprise objection from Hungary. Hungary is also blocking a 90-billion-euro EU loan to Ukraine until oil transmission to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline resumes. The EU imposed a ban on most oil imports from Russia in 2022, but the Druzhba pipeline was exempted to give landlocked Central European countries time to find alternative oil supplies. The 20th package of sanctions is expected to target Russia’s oil tanker fleet and Moscow’s energy revenues.