Why doesn't UE utilize STL containers?

It won’t, and why would it? Epic have spent a lot of time writing their own far more fit-for-purpose types and methods that do the job much better. There’s no reason to use STL/STD in UE4 - but if you really want to punish yourself, there’s nothing stopping you from doing it for the most part.

As for official word on the matter, the fact that Epic have stated that UE4 projects will transition to UE5 with minimal effort should be enough.