'Not very hopeful': UN chief on peace between Ukraine-Russia

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday said he was not very hopeful of a peace solution to the Russia-Ukraine war in the "immediate future".

He was addressing a press conference in New Delhi ahead of the G20 Summit.

"I am not very hopeful to have a peace solution in the immediate future. I believe the two parties are still decided to move on with the conflict," Guterres told reporters here when asked about India's role as a possible mediator to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

"Obviously, we need to pay tribute to all those that with good intention tried to do everything possible for this dramatic situation to find an end," he said.

Asked whether it was the failure of the United Nations that issues such as the Ukraine conflict were coming in the way of a joint declaration at the G20 Summit, Guterres said it was easy to blame the United Nations for the actions of its member states.

"It was not the UN that invaded Ukraine, it was not the UN that created the conditions for this conflict.

"The responsibilities of member states must be assumed by member states and let's not make the UN the scapegoat of the failures or of the negative actions that are committed by member states," he said.

In his opening remarks, Guterres said, "Divisions are growing, tensions are flaring up, and trust is eroding, which together raise the spectre of fragmentation, and ultimately, confrontation."

"This fracturing would be deeply concerning in the best of times, but in our times, it spells catastrophe," he said.

Guterres said the world was in a difficult moment of transition. "The future is multipolar, but our multilateral institutions reflect a bygone age," he said.

"The global financial architecture is outdated, dysfunctional, and unfair. It requires deep, structural reform. And the same can be said about the United Nations Security Council," the UN secretary-general said.

"We need effective international institutions rooted in 21st Century realities and based on the UN Charter and international law," Guterres said, adding that he has been advocating for bold steps to make global institutions truly universal and representative of today's realities, and more responsive to the needs of developing economies.