Emergency meeting held at UN Security Council on Ukraine situation

The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting on the situation in Ukraine on Monday, calling for all relevant actors to focus their efforts on an immediate cessation of hostilities.

Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo says “amid the current risks and uncertainty, it is even more important to pursue dialog,” and underlined that negotiation is the only way to address the differences.

Russia’s UN Ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, said Russia remains open to resolving the Ukraine issue through diplomatic measures, noting that Russia’s goal is to safeguard people in relevant regions.

The Russian ambassador also pointed out that the U.S. and some western countries have repeatedly hyped up the tensions and dispatched troops to Ukraine. The Ukrainian side on the other hand slammed Russia’s recognition of “the Lugansk People’s Republic” and “the Donetsk People’s Republic” in east Ukraine as illegal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed two decrees recognizing “the Lugansk People’s Republic” and “the Donetsk People’s Republic” as independent and sovereign states.