UN Secretary-General said on Wednesday that a ceasefire in Ukraine does not seem possible, indicating that the United Nations was still waiting for a response to proposals to evacuate civilians and deliver aid from Russia.

Iran PressAmerica: “It was our appeal for humanitarian reasons, but it doesn’t seem possible,” Antonio Guterres told a news conference.

Guterres recently sent UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths to Moscow and Kyiv with the goal of strengthening the ceasefire.

Aid agencies have repeatedly tried to evacuate civilians from Ukrainian cities such as Mariupol, which had been besieged for weeks by Russian forces.

Guterres also urged the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, which will soon hold their spring meetings in Washington, to release funds for developing countries suffering from the fallout of the invasion.

The United Nations says 69 countries – about a third of which are in Africa – are feeling the impact on food supplies, energy resources, and financial systems.

“The money is there, it needs to be used,” Guterres said.

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