Overview

• António Guterres renewed his call for a full, comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire in line with the UN Charter, saying progress toward a settlement remains painfully slow.
• He reported record barrages and widespread damage to homes, schools, hospitals and energy systems, citing more than 14,000 civilians killed and over 36,000 injured.
• The UN highlighted nuclear safety risks focused on the Zaporizhzhia plant and urged donors to scale up humanitarian funding alongside safe, unimpeded access.
• Guterres acknowledged ongoing diplomacy, praising US efforts and welcoming Ukraine–Russia talks in Istanbul that helped return hundreds of prisoners of war.
• Political responses diverged, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy pushing for concrete security guarantees and a coalition of partners, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warning of additional costs if no path to peace emerges, and Russia’s Dmitry Polyanskiy criticizing the meeting yet saying Moscow is not abandoning negotiations.