(VOVworld) – The UN Security Council convened an urgent meeting on Monday, as proposed by Russia, to discuss the tensions in eastern Ukraine. Russia's UN envoy, Vitaly Churkin, said that it was the West who could create the opportunity to avoid a civil war in Ukraine, adding that tensions were escalating in south-eastern Ukraine and needed immediate intervention. He warned that Ukrainian troop deployments to suppress protesters in the area would just worsen the situation.

Pro-Russian protesters (L) clash with activists (R) supporting the territorial integrity of Ukraine. (Photo: Reuters)

A day earlier, the European Union urged the Ukrainian authorities to restrain any security action to regain control. On the same day, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen voiced his concerns over conflict in eastern Ukraine and asked Russia not to fuel the tensions.