Guterres spoke at a special UN meeting in New York. He said the war cannot keep going this way.

“The current course is not sustainable,” Guterres said. “This trajectory must change.”

The urgent meeting happened because of big Russian attacks on May 23 and 24. There are also fears of more attacks soon. Both sides are seeing more regular citizens hurt, and important buildings like homes and schools are being destroyed in both Ukraine and Russia.

The UN human rights office said more regular citizens were killed or hurt in Ukraine in the first four months of 2026 than during the same months in 2025. They counted 815 citizen deaths and 4,174 injuries between January and April.

Since the war began in February 2022, more than 15,000 citizens have died in Ukraine. This includes nearly 800 children.

“The death spiral must stop,” Guterres told the group. He warned that if the fighting gets worse, it could cause dangerous mistakes and unexpected problems.

“What is needed now is de-escalation – immediate and sustained,” the Secretary-General said. “What is needed now is a full and unconditional ceasefire.”

Another top UN official, Volker Türk, also asked both sides to stop fighting and start talking again.

“I strongly urge restraint. Resume negotiations and end the suffering,” Türk said.

Türk talked about recent attacks where many citizens died. This includes a Russian attack on an apartment building in Kyiv this month that killed 24 citizens.

He also mentioned a Ukrainian attack on a school building in the city of Starobilsk, which is controlled by Russia. Russian officials said that attack killed 21 people and hurt 44 others, including students.

Guterres said that attacking citizens and their buildings breaks international laws of war. He called for new talks to bring a fair and lasting peace.

“The choice is clear. The responsibility is clear. The time for peace is now,” Guterres said.