John Ging, who is Director of Operations for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said the violence resulted in the cutting of power and water supplies, RTE reports.

Mr Ging said it had forced health workers and thousands of residents to flee the region.

He told the meeting the violence would put the lives of more people at risk and "immediate action" was needed.

At least 1,367 people have been killed and more than 4.000 wounded in the fighting in eastern Ukraine since mid-April, according to UN officials.

Russia called for urgent measures at the meeting to ease the humanitarian crisis in eastern Ukraine.

However, it was bluntly told by the US that it bore responsibility for the suffering.

Russia's appeal came amid a sharp rise in the number of refugees fleeing fighting in the east of the country, with 58.000 people driven from their homes over the past month alone.