UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has asked to meet with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine in their respective capitals, a UN spokesperson said.

“The Secretary-General said, at this time of great peril and consequence, he would like to discuss urgent steps to bring about peace in Ukraine and the future of multilateralism based on the Charter of the United Nations and international law”, - said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.

“He noted that both Ukraine and the Russian Federation are founding members of the United Nations and have always been strong supporters of this Organization”.

The announcement came a day after the UN chief called for a humanitarian pause in Ukraine ahead of Orthodox Christian Easter this weekend.