Exclusive: UN's Guterres urges world leaders to 'stop this madness' and end all wars
The UN Secretary-General told Euronews in Bishkek that some of the key actors in wars in the Middle East and Ukraine were in the room with him, and that it was time to "stop the madness".
By Toby Gregory
Published on 01/09/2026 - 13:22 GMT+2
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged world leaders gathered in Bishkek to "stop the madness" and end the world's wars.
Speaking to Euronews in the Kyrgyz capital on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on Tuesday, the UN chief said the meeting was a rare chance to put the case directly to the people who could act on it.
"A very important message is to say, it is time to stop this madness. It is time for peace. And some of the key actors of these processes are here," Guterres said.
"What worries us more is the fact that we have conflicts that seem never-ending. It is true in relation to Russia and Ukraine. It is true in relation to the Middle East, both from Gaza to the Iran and United States confrontation," he added.
'We need to go back to where we were'
On Iran, Guterres said strikes had resumed, and called for both sides to return to negotiations, which he said had come close to succeeding.
"Unfortunately, the strikes have started again. So I think maximum containment is necessary," he said.
"We need to go back to where we were. There were negotiations that seemed to be successful," Guterres pointed out.
"Let's restart them, and let's make sure that we create a situation of peace and stability in the area, and especially that the freedom of navigation is fully re-established, both in the Strait of Hormuz and in Bab el-Mandeb."
Guterres, who attends the SCO as a guest, said engaging with regional organisations has become central to how the UN works.
"We live more and more in a multipolar world. And obviously, for an organisation like the UN, it is extremely important to engage with regional organisations, be it the European Union, the African Union, or the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation," he told Euronews.
The bloc is marking its 25th anniversary in Bishkek. Its 10 members are China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and between them they account for more than 40% of the world's population.
A further 15 states attend as dialogue partners, among them Turkey, whose President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is in Bishkek alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
"Here you have a platform, in which practically half of humanity is represented. And the most dynamic economies in the world are today in Asia," Guterres said.
"So for me as secretary-general, it's very important to maintain a dialogue with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and to cooperate with them in the areas that are areas of common interest," the UN chief concluded.
The one-day summit closes in Bishkek on Tuesday.
