KUALA LUMPUR - Every effort should be redoubled to find a peaceful and amicable solution to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Saturday (Feb 26).

Kuala Lumpur "strongly urges all concerned parties to immediately take steps to de-escalate and prevent loss of lives and devastation", he said in a statement.

"The United Nations Security Council must carry out its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security," he added.

Malaysia will continue to support efforts for dialogue and negotiation, based on international law and the UN Charter, in the interest of maintaining regional and international peace and security, as well as promoting greater prosperity, Datuk Seri Ismail said.

The Embassy of Malaysia in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, was evacuating the remaining eight Malaysian nationals and two of their foreign spouses in the city, with 13 Malaysian nationals having already left Ukraine in recent weeks.

Get live updates as the Ukraine crisis unfolds.