UN to hold emergency meeting on Ukraine crisis

The UN Security Council is to hold emergency consultations amid media reports of a major escalation in the Ukraine conflict.

The emergency session, scheduled for Friday evening, was requested by Lithuania, Xinhua quoted the UN spokesperson's office as saying. UN Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernandez-Taranco was to brief the 15 council members on the recent development in Ukraine.

The meeting was called amidst reports that Russian military personnel were manning artillery within Ukraine in support of pro-Russian rebels.

"The Russian military has moved artillery units manned by Russian personnel inside Ukrainian territory in recent days and is using them to fire at Ukrainian forces," The New York Times said, quoting NATO officials.

These reports followed the arrival in Ukraine of a Russian humanitarian convoy of 280 vehicles.

However, Vitaly Churkin, the permanent representative of Russia to UN, has dismissed the media reports.