THE UNITED NATIONS, September 22. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon discussed the situations in Syria, eastern Ukraine and the Middle East at their meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session on Wednesday, a spokesman for the UN secretary general said.

"They discussed the current situation in Syria, including the need for urgent humanitarian access, implementation of a ceasefire agreement and progress toward a full and comprehensive political solution," he said in a statement.

After exchanging views on the developments in Ukraine, Ban Ki-moon "urged the Russian Federation to use its considerable influence to achieve progress on political, security and humanitarian-related issues."

Ban Ki-moon and Lavrov discussed the situation in Yemen and Sudan along with "the latest developments in the Middle East Peace Process."

"The Secretary-General thanked the Russian Federation for its commitments with regards to climate change," says the statement.

Earlier in the day, the UN secretary general and Russia’s foreign minister attended the UN Security Council’s session on the situation in Syria. Its participants underscored the need to resume the ceasefire regime and to bring Damascus and opposition back to the negotiation table.