Russia has faced sharp criticism in the Security Council over the conflict in eastern Ukraine, its annexation of Crimea, and an investigation linking the Russian military to the downing of a Malaysian Airlines plane over Ukraine.

The three issues were raised Tuesday at the council's first meeting on Ukraine since February 2017 which saw Russia's Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia clash with Ukraine, Netherlands, Poland, the U.S. and other council members.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said the four-year conflict between Ukrainian forces and separatist rebels in the east "was invented by the Kremlin to punish Ukrainians for their aspiration toward freedom, democracy and European future."

Nebenzia retorted that some Ukrainians don't want to settle the conflict — "what you do want is a hotbed of instability on the borders of Russia."