UN holds emergency meeting over Ukraine crisis

The UN Security Council has met on Sunday night to discuss the rising crisis in Ukraine. Russia has called the meeting following Ukraine’s counter-attack in east to tackle pro-Russia protesters.

One security officer was killed in the fierce gun-battle between Ukrainian Special Forces and pro-Russia militia in an eastern city of Slaviansk on Sunday, leaving at least five wounded.

While Ukraine’s president accused Russia for instigating violence, Russia asked UN council to stop escalation.

“There has already been bloodshed and a further escalation must be swiftly stopped. The international community must ask Kiev to stop and implement all its commitments,” Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin told Security Council members.

Ukraine alleged that Moscow may use the violence in the Russian-speaking region as a pretext for an invasion.

“This is not a war between Ukrainians, this was artificially created,” said Ukraine’s U.N. Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev.

“At this moment, Ukraine teeters on the brink,” Assistant U.N. Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco said at the meeting.

Meanwhile UK accused Russia of seeing up to 40,000 troops on border.

“Satellite images show that there are between 35,000 and 40,000 Russian troops in the vicinity of the border with Ukraine equipped with combat aircraft, tanks, artillery and logistical support units. This is in addition to the 25,000 Russia troops based illegally in Crimea,” British ambassador Lyall Grant informed council members in the meeting.”

“We want to use this Security Council meeting to expose that but also warn Russia against using events in eastern Ukraine as a pretext for further military escalation in the region,” Grant added.

The US ambassador to UN Samantha Power said that the crisis has the same pattern as was seen in Crimea.

“It’s professional, it’s co-ordinated, there is nothing grass-roots-seeming about it,” Power said adding, “The fact is that many of the armed units that we’ve seen were outfitted in bulletproof vests, camouflage uniforms with insignia removed.”

“These armed units … raised Russian and separatist flags over seized buildings and have called referendums and union with Russia. We know who is behind this,” Power added. Russia, however, denied all the allegations.

“It is the West that will determine the opportunity to avoid civil war in Ukraine. Some people, including in this chamber, do not want to see the real reasons for what is happening in Ukraine and are constantly seeing the hand of Moscow in what is going on,” Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said adding, “Enough. That is enough.”

“Whether they are going to put an end to this provocation by Kiev, this is their responsibility to prevent further escalation of this crisis,” Churkin added.

(Additional input: Associated Press)

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