New York: The United Nations Security Council plans to hold a special meeting Monday focusing on the violence in eastern Ukraine.
The meeting was convened by Lithuania, a rotating member of the council, at Kiev`s request and will begin at 3:00 pm (2000 GMT).
The 15 members of the Security Council failed Saturday to agree on a resolution denouncing rocket attacks on the port of Mariupol that killed about 30 people.
The Security Council had tried to put together a statement on Mariupol, at Britain`s urging. But Russia, which is accused by the West of aiding separatists, blocked the effort, according to Western diplomats.
Monday`s meeting will be the latest in a string of more than two dozen meetings on Ukraine since the crisis began nearly a year ago.
As a permanent member of the council, Russia has veto power and previous meetings have been marked by verbal jousting between Western powers and Moscow representatives, though Russia denies supporting Ukraine rebels.