UN aid chief: ‘I’m not optimistic’ about Ukraine ceasefire

By ADAM SCHRECK
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The United Nations’ humanitarian chief says he is not optimistic about securing a ceasefire to halt the fighting in Ukraine. He spoke Thursday following high-level talks in Moscow and Kyiv that underscored how far apart the two sides are. Undersecretary-General Martin Griffiths gave the bleak assessment in an interview with The Associated Press in the Ukrainian capital after wrapping up talks with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and other top officials. That followed discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and officials in Moscow earlier in the week. “I think it’s not going to be easy because the two sides, as I know now … have very little trust in each other,” he said. “I’m not optimistic,” he added later.