UN chief Ban Ki-moon 'deeply concerned' over Ukraine-Russia tensions

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has told Vladimir Putin that he’s “deeply concerned” about the crisis between Russia and Ukraine. <br /><br />Ban met Putin in Moscow, as the country’s lower house of parliament voted to approve a treaty to absorb the Ukrainian region of Crimea into Russia.<br /><br />“I was profoundly concerned by the recent incident where Ukrainian military bases were taken over,” said Ban.<br /><br />“It is at moments like this in history that a small incident can quickly lead to a situation spiralling out of anyone’s control.”<br /><br />Earlier on Thursday, the UN chief met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.<br /><br />Ban is expected to travel to Kyiv on Friday on a visit which the UN says is “part of (his) diplomatic efforts to encourage all parties to resolve the current crisis peacefully.”