We are not afraid of anyone: Ukraine president

Moscow, Feb 22: Ukraine is “not afraid of anyone or anything," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said amid looming threat of invasion by Russia.

He spoke during a chaotic day in which Russia appeared to be moving closer to an invasion, with President Vladimir Putin recognising separatist regions of eastern Ukraine and then ordering forces there.

The UN Security Council is holding an emergency meeting after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised the independence of separatist regions in eastern Ukraine and ordered Russian troops to "maintain the peace" there.

The meeting comes at the request of Ukraine, the United States and six other countries. Russia, which currently holds the rotating council presidency, has scheduled it for 9 p.m. New York time.

Yet undetermined is whether the meeting will be open or closed. Ukrainian UN Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya says in a letter to his Russian counterpart that Kyiv is requesting the urgent meeting because Putin's actions violate Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the UN Charter and a 2014 UN General Assembly resolution.

with PTI inputs