Ukraine fighting abates, may erupt again: senior UN official

The fighting in Ukraine may erupt again after a lull, a senior UN official warned here Friday.

"We should not also forget that the current relative calm in the conflict area may be just another manifestation of the repeating pattern we have been observing in Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict," UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic said.

Simonovic made the remarks when briefing the UN Security Council on the current situation in Ukraine since the fighting flared up in mid-April last year.

"A surge in hostilities (can be) accompanied by massive civilian casualties, which is followed by a ceasefire agreement, which is then followed by a decrease in hostilities and civilian casualties, and which is once again followed by a new escalation of hostilities," he said.

Implementation of the previous ceasefire accords is the only viable strategy for achieving a peaceful solution in the eastern Donbas region, he said.

More than 9,000 people have been killed and nearly 21,000 injured over the past two years since the conflict in Ukraine began, according to a report issued earlier this week by the UN.

Leaders from Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine reached consensus in Minsk in February on a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. The UN Security Council later adopted Resolution 2202, demonstrating the international community's firm support for such diplomatic efforts.

China on Friday called on the international community to further strengthen the diplomatic efforts.

"To find a fundamental and lasting solution to this question, it is important to address the legitimate rights and interests and concerns of all the ethnicities and regions in Ukraine," said Wang Min, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN. Endi