UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the scale of the Russian armed forces' daily attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities as alarming. Guterres said the attacks had pushed civilian casualties to record levels.
Guterres also said he was equally concerned about civilian casualties caused by increasing attacks by the Ukrainian armed forces on areas inside the Russian Federation, including Moscow.
Expressing concern over rising civilian casualties in attacks on Ukraine's capital Kyiv and other cities, as well as in attacks inside Russia, the UN secretary-general strongly condemned all attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, wherever they occur.

Diplomacy and call for a ceasefire
Guterres said the dangerous cycle of escalation must end immediately. Calling for diplomacy to regain priority in order to urgently de-escalate tensions, Guterres said it must secure an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire as the first step toward a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in Ukraine.
The UN secretary-general stressed that any solution must comply with international law, the UN Charter and relevant UN resolutions. The United Nations also said it was ready to support all meaningful efforts toward this goal.