Ukraine developments should alarm us all: UN political chief

The UN political chief has said that the developments in Ukraine "should alarm us all," calling for concerted and expeditious efforts towards putting the crisis-torn country on the path to stability.

In a briefing to the Security Council at a meeting on Ukraine Tuesday, Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman noted that the situation continued to deteriorate in eastern and southern Ukraine, including the seizure of European observers, the takeover of government buildings by pro-Russian protesters and the shooting of the mayor of a major eastern city, Xinhua reported.

"These developments should alarm us all," he warned.

Furthermore, he said "the implementation of the Geneva Statement has stalled as parties have sought to give different interpretations of what has been agreed upon", adding "unhelpful rhetoric" on the part of many has further escalated tensions.

Feltman said he was asked to return to Ukraine next week by the UN secretary-general in the spirit of "helping bring about a return to diplomacy and a peaceful resolution."

"We must find a way back to the spirit of compromise exhibited on April 17 in Geneva. A diplomatic and political solution to this crisis is both imperative and long overdue," he said.

Tensions continue to rise in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russia militants are in conflict with government troops and have detained military observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Pro-Moscow demonstrators have staged protests in eastern Ukraine since early April, demanding a referendum on autonomy and closer ties with Russia.

Both the US and the European Union slapped fresh sanctions on more Russian officials and firms Monday and threatened to target its key economic sectors in the event of further destabilising moves in eastern Ukraine.

Russia has rejected suggestions that it was orchestrating events in eastern Ukraine, saying it had no plan to invade that vast region.