UNITED NATIONS, June 2 -- Russia on Monday circulated among members of the UN Security Council a draft resolution on humanitarian situation in the southern and eastern parts of Ukraine, saying that "the Security Council must react to the escalation of the situation in southeastern Ukraine."

"Today, the Russian delegation tabled the draft resolution regarding the dire humanitarian situation in southeastern Ukraine, " said Vitaly Churkin, the permanent representative of Russia to the United Nations, while addressing reporters here at the end of closed council consultations.

Earlier Monday, Russia, which is the rotating council president for this month, called an emergency meeting of the 15-nation UN body to introduce the draft resolution, urging an immediate halt to deadly clashes in southeastern Ukraine.

"The draft is non-politicised and of the humanitarian nature," Churkin said. "It is aimed at alleviating human suffering, we hope that our colleagues in the council will support the text."

"Our draft demands an immediate cessation of hostilities and urges the parties to commit themselves to sustainable ceasefire and calls for the establishment by the parties of humanitarian corridors in order to allow the civilian population to leave safely and to ensure humanitarian assistance," he said.

Churkin also urged the parties concerned to commit to the April 17 Geneva statement and the roadmap produced by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

"We strongly believed that the Security Council must react to this escalation of the situation in southeastern Ukraine," he said. "A large scale of military operation continues in southeastern Ukraine with heavy and indiscriminate shelling in residential areas."

Artillery was being used in the operations and "everyday civilians get killed, among them women and children," Churkin said.

Churkin said that the Russian delegation circulated the draft resolution a few hours before the council meeting. During the closed-door consultations, the draft received "positive support from some of the council members," but some other members, as usual, expressed doubt over the draft, Churkin said, referring to the initial response among the council members to the proposed text.

The council members are waiting for the instructions from their respective governments on the draft resolution, he said, adding that "we will decide what our next steps will be."

Earlier Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Moscow that "the draft resolution will demand violence be stopped immediately and talks started to cease fire."

The Western countries, Lavrov said, had promised to end the unrest as soon as presidential elections were held in Ukraine, " but it's quite the other way around." He also criticized the way some Western media reported on the months-long crisis.

Russia has repeatedly said a humanitarian catastrophe was haunting Ukraine, while Kiev accused Moscow of inciting unrest in its southeastern regions.