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U.N. Security Council holds emergency session on Ukraine

The U.N. Security Council met Tuesday evening to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

By JC Finley
Vitaly Churkin, Russia's United Nations permanent representative, talks with a colleague before addressing the U.N. Security Council on January 31, 2012 in New York City. (UPI/Monika Graff)
Vitaly Churkin, Russia's United Nations permanent representative, talks with a colleague before addressing the U.N. Security Council on January 31, 2012 in New York City. (UPI/Monika Graff) | License Photo

NEW YORK, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency session on Ukraine Tuesday evening at the request of Russia.

U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Director John Ging briefed the 15-member body on the situation in Ukraine, telling them that the conflict has resulted in the deaths of 1,300 people and injuries of 4,000. Protection of civilians, he said, was paramount.

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On Tuesday, Russia called for the emergency U.N. Security Council meeting, citing its concern for the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

Ukraine's ambassador to the U.N., Oleksandr Pavlichenko, disagreed with Russia's description of the conflict, asserting that there was no humanitarian crisis and that continuation of the conflict was directly tied to Russia's destabilizing actions.

Russia's ambassador to the U.N., Vitaly Churkin, reiterated Russia's offer to send a convoy into Ukraine and offered to have such a peacekeeping mission monitored by the humanitarian community.

In response, the Ukrainian ambassador urged Russia "to stop sending mercenaries and weapons, to establish effective control over its part of border to prevent the infiltration of armed groups, and to stop provoking unrest," noting that "The sooner those steps were taken, the sooner the situation would stabilize."

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On Wednesday, NATO weighed in on Russia's proposal, expressing concern that Russia's proposal to send Russian peacekeepers into Ukraine could be a pretext for invasion.

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