UN secretary-general says chances of Russia peace deal 'minimal,' working on food exports

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The United Nations secretary-general said he saw "minimal" chances of a peace deal with Russia following a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Wednesday. Still, the organization has pledged to keep working with Moscow to speed up the export of necessary food and fertilizers. 

"Obviously, anything that can help rebuild confidence is useful, but it would be naive to think that we are close to the possibility of a peace deal," U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said at a press conference on Wednesday. "My good offices are ready, but I have no illusions that, at the present moment, the chances of a peace deal are minimal, at the present moment."

Guterres arrived late to the press conference, admitting that he had just spoken with Putin regarding the ongoing difficulty Moscow claims to face in exporting grains and other food supplies to the rest of the world – an issue that could lead to global famine if it remains unresolved.

"We had the opportunity to discuss the Black Sea Grain Initiative and its extension and expansion, possible expansion," Guterres explained. "There are, as you know, talks in relation to the possibility of ammonia, Russian ammonia exports through the Black Sea … in line with the methodology that is run by the JCC, the Joint Coordination Committee."

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The exportation of ammonia, which could be used as fertilizer, could help stabilize a growing crisis as prices soar during a shortage resulting from Russia and Ukraine’s difficulty getting the product to market due to the Russia’s invasion. 

Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres speaks during a U.N. Security Council meeting on the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine at the United Nations Headquarters on Sept. 6, 2022 in New York City. The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency said Tuesday that its inspectors on the ground were "gravely concerned" after finding damage caused to buildings at the plant. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

In his opening remarks, Guterres warned that without the deal and movement of Russian food and fertilizers, there was a risk of "multiple famines" in the coming year. 

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"We have discussed the obstacles that still exist in relation to the exports of Russian food and fertilizers, and I have to say that we now have a dramatic situation in the world in fertilizers," Guterres said, adding that the world faces a fertilizer "crunch." "We have news from different parts of the world where the areas cultivated are much smaller than in the previous cycle, which means that we risk to have in [2023] a real lack of food."

A security officer stands next to the ship Navi-Star which sits full of grain since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began five months ago as it waits to sail from the Odesa Sea Port, in Odesa, Ukraine, Friday, July 29, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

"What we have is to guarantee that there are effective mechanisms that allow developing countries with risk of famine to be able to have access to the food that is available, and this is either through forms of direct assistance," he added, again stressing the need to stabilize the fertilizer market. 

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A peace deal between Russia and Ukraine could help lead to that stabilization, but Guterres presented a bleak picture regarding that possibility. He affirmed that inspectors sent to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station found "worrying" radiation and that the U.N. will continue to seek security around the plant. 

International flags outside the United Nations headquarters in New York. (Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"I go on with my contacts with both sides and hope that, one day, it will be possible to move into a higher level of discussion," he said. 

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"Now we are discussing the exports of ammonia. Now we are discussing aspects related to prisoners of war or to the Fact-Finding Mission or to Zaporizhzhia. One day, I hope it will be possible to discuss peace."