Russia seeks UN Security Council's action on Ukraine

Russia Friday circulated a document on the Ukraine crisis among the UN Security Council members which Moscow hopes will serve as the core of a resolution to end the three-month conflict.

The UN Security Council should express deep concern about the civilian casualties, show support of the April 17 Geneva declaration and recent Berlin agreement on sustainable ceasefire, Xinhua quoted Vitaly Churkin, Russia's envoy to the UN, as telling media about the text.

The document also urged the council "to voice imperative demand addressed to the Ukrainian parties to conflict to cease violence", as well as to set up a special monitoring mission to help settle the conflict.

After two recent draft resolutions on Ukraine proposed by Moscow "stonewalled by some western countries", Russia has taken a different way by sending these "key elements" to the council members, Churkin said.

"We hope they would be the core of a resolution to be adopted by the Security Council," he said.

Churkin noted that the military operation in eastern Ukraine " tragically continues" and that the council should not allow the situation to "get out of hands".

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called off a 10-day ceasefire in Ukraine's east on July 1, blaming the insurgent forces for failing to observe the truce. The Ukrainian military then resumed its offensive in the states of Donetsk and Lugansk.

Russia Thursday expressed regret over what it called expanded "punitive operation" in eastern Ukraine and called for the settlement of the Ukraine crisis at the earliest.