The UN Security Council expressed support in a statement on Ukraine adopted on Friday for the efforts of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to resolve the Ukrainian crisis.

"The Security Council expresses deep concern regarding the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine," the statement says.

"The Security Council expresses strong support to the efforts of the Secretary-General in the search for a peaceful solution," the statement says.

It was adopted unanimously on Friday by council members, including Russia. It is the first such statement adopted by all council members since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February.

Presidential statements are not legally binding, and the latest one does not mention Russia by name.

Mexico's UN Ambassador Juan Ramon De La Fuente, one of two envoys who drafted the statement, was asked by a reporter whether Russia was serious about seeking a diplomatic solution.

He said the unanimous adoption of the statement shows the Security Council is united in supporting the UN Secretary-General's effort to find a diplomatic solution. He called the statement an important first step for diplomatic efforts to end the war.

Guterres visited Russia and Ukraine last month. He agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin that the United Nations would be involved in the evacuation of civilians from a besieged steel plant in Mariupol in eastern Ukraine reports international media.