Updated 8:52 p.m. Moscow Time
MOSCOW, September 27 (RIA Novosti) - The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on Russia to use its influence to help sustain the ceasefire regime in Ukraine, according to the readout of the meeting between the UN secretary general and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
"On Ukraine, the Secretary-General urged Russia to use its influence to ensure a sustainable cease-fire. He informed the Foreign Minister that he would continue his personal engagement with world leaders toward a peaceful resolution of the crisis," the readout said.
The east of Ukraine was torn by military confrontation since mid-April, when Kiev launched a military operation in order to suppress independence supporters of eastern Ukraine.
On September 5, a ceasefire was established as a result of a Contact Group meeting on the situation in Ukraine, which was followed by the adoption of a memorandum on September 19 that specified the provisions of the ceasefire implementation.
The Contact Group on Ukraine comprises delegations from Ukraine, Russia, the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Since the ceasefire was established, the opposing sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating the truce, although, according to the OSCE, the ceasefire was generally holding.
The Ukrainian conflict has killed more than 3,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands of residents in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
