UN chief urges parties in Ukraine to avoid ‘hasty actions’

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging all parties in Ukraine “to refrain from hasty actions and provocative rhetoric.”

The U.N. chief warned that “at this crucial juncture, we cannot afford either miscalculations or inaction.”

Ban warned in a statement Monday that “a further deterioration of the situation would have serious repercussions for the people of Ukraine, the region and the global community.”

He said a resolution to the crisis must be based on the principles of the U.N. Charter including “the peaceful settlement of disputes and respect for the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic is in Kyiv. He will be going to Kharkiv in the pro-Russian east and then to Crimea later this week.