UN chief Antonio Guterres has said he believes Russia's war in Ukraine "will go on" and does not see a prospect for "serious" peace talks in the immediate future.
Speaking to reporters during his annual end-of-year conference in New York on Monday, the UN Secretary-General said he strongly hoped that the war would be over by the end of next year as he cited the "consequences" for Ukraine's people, Russian society and the global economy if a deal is not found.

"I am not optimistic about the possibility of effective peace talks at the immediate future. I do believe that the military confrontation will go on and I think we will have still to wait a moment in which serious negotiations for peace will be possible," he said.