Washington, UN urge immediate end to hostilities in Ukraine

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has expressed its concern over the situation in Ukraine and called on the warring parties to immediately cease fire in a communique released late Tuesday.

Meanwhile, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner also urged the warring parties in eastern Ukraine to immediately resume ceasefire and allow access for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitoring mission.

The UNSC held a closed session to discuss the issue on the Kiev government's request on Monday, reports TASS.

"The members of the Security Council condemned the use of weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements along the contact line in Donetsk region that lead to deaths and injuries, including among civilians," reads the document, adopted on Ukraine's initiative.

The document also expresses "full support of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine" and underlines the need for strict compliance with Resolution 2202 (2015), which endorsed the "Package of measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements".

Similar calls were earlier voiced by Russia, Brussels, the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, a number of European countries, the OSCE and the United States.

In the past two days, armed clashes intensified near the town of Avdeyevka and the settlement of Yasinovataya close to the line separating the areas controlled by the Kiev government and the self-proclaimed republics of eastern Ukraine. The Kiev government blamed the eastern Ukrainian militia for the escalation of the conflict.

Meanwhile, Russia called on the Ukrainian authorities to immediately stop armed provocations in Donbass adding that Ukraine's attacks against insurgents in the eastern region of Donbass have torpedoed the Minsk agreements,

"We call on the Ukrainian authorities to immediately stop armed provocations in Donbass, to observe the current ceasefire agreements and finally begin to duly implement all provisions of the Package of Measures, including those that concern political aspects of the current problems," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.