United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting Saturday on the escalating crisis in Ukraine after Russian lawmakers approved the deployment of troops to the region.
Ukraine urged the Security Council to do "everything possible" to stop Russian aggression against the country after the upper house of parliament in Moscow endorsed military action.
Its mission to the United Nations requested the urgent open meeting "to take all available measures to stop the aggression".
The 15-member council began meeting shortly after 1900 GMT but spent nearly two hours debating British, French and US demands supporting Ukraine's request that the session be public.
Russia initially opposed the request, but an agreement was eventually reached at the session finally got underway at 2117 GMT under the leadership of current president Luxembourg.
"We are deeply concerned about the situation, especially the developments over the last 24 hours," British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant told reporters.
"We have called this emergency session to find out what justification Russia claims to have for the actions they are taking at the moment."
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate restitution of calm in Ukraine and his spokesman said he would express "grave" concerns directly to Russian leader Vladimir Putin by telephone.
Ban "calls for an immediate restoration of calm and direct dialogue between all concerned to solve the current crisis," spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters in New York.
The UN chief reiterated his call for the "preservation of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine."
Poised to fly to Europe, the UN chief ordered his deputy to brief the emergency Security Council talks.
The UN envoy to Ukraine, Robert Serry, said he was leaving the country and ruled out a visit to the Crimea region as requested by Ban following emergency talks Friday.
"I have since been in touch with the authorities of the autonomous republic of Crimea and have come to the conclusion that a visit to Crimea today is not possible," Serry said.
He planned to brief Ban in Geneva and "consult with him on next steps."
Ukrainian Defense Minister Igor Tenyukh accused Russia of sending 30 armored personnel carriers and 6,000 additional troops into Crimea.
Dozens of pro-Russian armed men in full combat gear patrolled outside the seat of power in Crimea's capital Simferopol.
Similar gunmen seized the city's parliament and government buildings Thursday and took control of its airport and a nearby military base on Friday.
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