<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">United States- UN chief Antonio Guterres said Monday he was pessimistic that Russia's war in Ukraine would end soon but he hoped it would be over by the end of next year.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>"I am not optimistic about the possibility of effective peace talks in the immediate future," he told reporters during his annual end-of-year press conference in New York.</div><div><br></div><div>It is ten months since Russia invaded its neighbor in late February.</div><div><br></div><div>On Monday, Russia launched a swarm of attack drones at critical infrastructure in Kyiv as the war showed no signs of relenting.</div><div><br></div><div>"I do believe that the military confrontation will go on," the United Nations secretary-general said at the world body's headquarters.</div><div><br></div><div>"I think we will have still to wait (for) a moment in which serious negotiations for peace will be possible. I don't see them in the immediate horizon," he added.</div><div><br></div><div>After several rounds of peace talks between delegations early in the conflict, negotiations quickly stalled.</div><div><br></div><div>Ukraine has said Russia would need to completely remove its forces for talks to take place.</div><div><br></div><div>Last month, a top Ukrainian official said any discussions not based on Ukraine's internationally recognized borders are "not acceptable."</div><div><br></div><div>Guterres said he "strongly" hoped that peace could be reached in 2023.</div><div><br></div><div>He cited "the consequences" for Ukraine's people, Russian society and the global economy, which is battling high food and energy prices as a result of the war, if a deal is not found.</div><div><br></div><div>"All these are reasons for us to do everything possible to make a peace solution happen before the end of 2023," Guterres said.</div><div><br></div><div>Over the course of an hour, Guterres answered questions on a host of subjects, including on peace in the Middle East, North Korean missiles and the dire situation in Mali, reports AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He described the Iranian regime's crackdown of women-led protests as "totally unacceptable."</div><div><br></div><div>"We are witnessing massive violations of human rights that we strongly condemn," Guterres said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>