Ukraine PM to address UN Security Council tomorrow

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk will address the UN Security Council tomorrow afternoon at a public meeting, diplomats have said.

The council will also hear updates on the situation in the Ukraine and Crimea by UN political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman.

The meeting is to start at 3:00 pm (1900 GMT) and will be presided over by Luxemburg Foreign Affairs Minister Jean Asselborn, that country's UN mission said.

Luxemburg is the current holder of the council's rotating presidency.

The meeting comes three days before a referendum in Crimea asks voters to decide whether to split with Ukraine and join Russia. Ukraine and Western powers have declared the referendum illegal under international law.

Yatsenyuk was also scheduled to meet with US President Barack Obama today at the White House.

The Crimean parliament yesterday voted for independence from Ukraine in a move apparently setting up the legal framework to join Russia.

Despite five meetings focused on the crisis in Ukraine, the 15 members of the Security Council have not so far succeeded in adopting a common opinion on the issue.

Moscow, a permanent member, can use its veto to block any decision by the body.