THE UNITED NATIONS, September 21. /TASS/. A Russian proposal to deploy a UN mission in Donbass to ensure security of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) remains on the table, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told reporters on the sidelines of the 72nd UN General Assembly on Wednesday.

Gatilov said no to a question whether the Russian initiative had been rejected.

"No. It [proposal] is on the table," he said.

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko in his address to the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly said that Kiev would refuse Moscow’s proposal to deploy peacekeepers in Donbass. He also opposed presence of Russian representatives in the mission.

On September 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia plans to submit to the United Nations Security Council a resolution on the deployment of a UN mission along the line of engagement in Donbass to ensure safety of the OSCE mission.

Nonetheless, he stressed that deployment of UN peacekeepers could only be possible after weapons withdrawal from the area and upon agreement with the self-proclaimed Donbass republics. Later on, he specified that the mission could be deployed in other areas, not just along the contact line. Kiev insists that the UN forces be deployed primarily on the border of Ukraine and Russia.