This Article is From Mar 12, 2014

Ukraine PM to address UN Security Council on Thursday

Ukraine PM to address UN Security Council on Thursday

Ukraine's interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk gives a speech at the Ukrainian Parliament during a session in Kiev on March 11, 2014.

United Nations: Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk will address the UN Security Council tomorrow afternoon at a public meeting, diplomats have said. The council will also hear updates on the situation in Ukraine and Crimea by UN political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman.

The meeting is to start at 3:00 pm (1900 GMT) and will be presided over by Luxemburg Foreign Affairs Minister Jean Asselborn, Luxumburg's UN mission said.

Luxemburg is the current holder of the council's rotating presidency.

The meeting comes three days before a referendum in Crimea which asks voters to decide whether to split with Ukraine and join Russia. Ukraine and Western powers have declared the referendum illegal under international law.

Yatsenyuk was also scheduled to meet with US President Barack Obama today at the White House.

The Crimean parliament yesterday voted for independence from Ukraine, in a move apparently setting up the legal framework to join Russia.

Despite five meetings focused on the crisis in Ukraine, the 15 members of the Security Council have not so far succeeded in adopting a common opinion on the issue. Moscow, a permanent member, can use its veto to block any decision by the body.
.