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Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Khalifa, said the UAE would stand firm in its rejection of "military solutions" in Ukraine and called for a diplomatic resolution to the unfolding crisis.
Scores of civilian and military casualties have been reported after Russian forces entered Ukraine on Thursday.
More than 100,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries as Ukrainian cities including the capital, Kiev, came under attack.
In a Twitter post on Sunday, Dr Gargash said the world was "facing a difficult test" and stressed the need to avoid further violence.
He underlined the importance of "encouraging all parties" to use diplomatic means to negotiate an end to the conflict.
"The world is facing a difficult test and severe polarisation imposed by the Ukrainian crisis, which threatens the foundations of the international community and increases the factors of instability," Dr Gargash wrote.
"From our experience in a region full of crises, we believe that political solutions and creating balances that enhance security and stability are the best way to confront crises and limit their effects.
"The UAE's position is firm on the basic principles of the United Nations, international law, state sovereignty, and its rejection of military solutions.
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Ukrainian fighters test an automatic grenade launcher taken from a destroyed Russian infantry vehicle in Kharkiv. AFP -
Refugees from Ukraine rest after arriving at a railway station in Przemysl, Poland. AP -
People walk down 17th June Street in Berlin before a rally against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. AP -
Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kiev and former heavyweight boxing champion, right, and his brother, Wladimir. AP -
Khreshchatyk, Kiev’s main street, lies empty as a curfew comes into effect. AP -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to the nation from Kiev. AP -
On February 27, the seventh anniversary of the assassination of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, a note stating ‘No to war!’ is placed among flowers on the central Moscow bridge on which he was shot. AFP -
A member of the Ukrainian forces, wearing the Guy Fawkes mask popularised by Anonymous, patrols central Kiev. AFP -
Sviatoslav Yurash, 26, a politician from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People party, poses with his assault rifle as he patrols Kiev. AFP -
A Ukrainian serviceman and his dog look at smoke from a burning fuel storage depot after a Russian missile attack near Kiev. EPA -
A refugee who fled conflict in Ukraine rests at a railway station after arriving in Zahony, Hungary. AP -
A refugee boy who fled Ukraine cries at the railway station in Zahony, Hungary. AP -
Civil defence members eat during a break at City Hall in Kiev. AP -
An Indian student is embraced by his family at Chennai Airport after returning from Ukraine. EPA -
Smoke is seen rising from behind buildings following bombings in Kiev. Getty -
An armed civil defence woman holds a Kalashnikov assault rifle while patrolling an empty street in Kiev. AP -
A woman fleeing from Ukraine cries as she waits to be taken to a shelter in Zahony, Hungary. Reuters -
Ukrainian refugees cross the Romanian border at Siret, northern Romania. EPA -
A residential building damaged by shelling in Kharkiv, north-eastern Ukraine. AFP -
Apartments damaged by shelling in Kharkiv. AFP -
A girl protests against Russia's military operation in Ukraine, in front of the Russian embassy in Tel Aviv. AFP -
Young women protest in Tbilisi, Georgia with their hands painted in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. Getty -
Supplies for Ukrainian refugees at one of three camps set up at the MoldExpo exhibition center, in Chisinau, Moldova. EPA -
Police detain a demonstrator during a protest against Russia's incursion into Ukraine in St Petersburg. AP -
A man waits at a bus stop in St Petersburg, which has been with a painted in the colours of Ukraine's national flag. EPA -
Russian ground forces approaching Nova Kakhovka, southern Ukraine. AP -
A woman holds her daughter's hand as they arrive by bus from the Polish-Ukrainian border. Getty -
A man drives his car full of food supplies to deliver to the Ukrainian side of the border, where thousands wait to enter Poland. Getty -
Refugees arrive with buses from the Medyka pedestrian border crossing, in Przemsyl, eastern Poland. AFP -
People gather to catch a train and leave Ukraine for neighboring countries at the railway station in Lviv, western Ukraine. AP -
Cars form a line that stretches 35 kilometres from the Shehyni border crossing to Poland as people try to flee Russia's military operation against Ukraine. Reuters -
Helena, right, and her brother Bodia, left, from Lviv, wait at the Medyka border crossing in eastern Poland. AFP -
A Ukrainian soldier walks past debris of a burning military truck, on a street in Kiev. AP -
People run for cover during the shelling on the city of Kiev. AP -
A child refugee who fled the conflict in Ukraine covers her face in the event hall of a hotel offering shelter in Siret, Romania. AP -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy holding a briefing in Kyiv. He said that Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan have suggested talks with Russia, which 'can only be welcomed'. AFP -
Ukraine's ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, at a news conference in the embassy of Ukraine, Washington. AP -
Manchester City footballers wear t-shirts in support of Ukraine before a match. Reuters -
Ukrainian refugees arrive in Warsaw by train from Kiev. EPA -
A woman waves a Ukrainian flag during a rally in Times Square, New York City. AFP -
A man sits next to his dogs in an underground car park turned into a bomb shelter during an air raid alert in Kiev. AP -
A woman sleeps on chairs in a Kiev bomb shelter. AP -
A satellite image with overlaid graphics shows military vehicles alongside the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Reuters -
A satellite image shows the effects of shelling in open fields along Soborna Street in the north-east suburbs of Kharkiv. Reuters -
A big fire at a petroleum storage depot after a Russian missile attack, in Vasylkiv, near Kiev. EPA -
Ukrainian servicemen take positions at a military airbase in the Kyiv region. Reuters
"We believe that alignment and positioning will only lead to more violence, and in the Ukrainian crisis, our priorities are to encourage all parties to adopt diplomacy and negotiate to find a political settlement that ends this crisis."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation said it was particularly alarmed about "the consequences for civilians present in Ukraine, as well as for the region, and for the international community".
In a statement on Saturday, the ministry called on all parties to respect international humanitarian law, prioritise the protection of civilians, and allow the unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance.
Lana Nusseibeh, the Emirates' Permanent Representative to the UN, told the Security Council on Friday that the UAE was ready to work with fellow members to achieve de-escalation and a cessation of hostilities.
"Throughout this crisis, my country has consistently called for de-escalation and dialogue; we placed great hope in the various diplomatic initiatives and channels aimed at resolving the crisis. Those calls reflected our alarm at the consequences for civilians present in Ukraine, as well as for the region, and for the international community," Ms Nusseibeh said after the council voted on a draft resolution calling for Russia to withdraw its forces.
Russia vetoed the resolution, while 11 members voted in favour. The UAE, along with India and China, abstained as the resolution was defeated, which Ms Nusseibeh said was a "foregone conclusion".
“The result of this vote today was a foregone conclusion, but the avenues for dialogue must remain open more urgently than ever before, and we must pursue them together,” she said.
“Being from the Middle East, we are intimately aware of the critical importance of a stable regional security environment, and of de-escalation, diplomacy, and dialogue. Similarly, we understand from experience the need for inclusive and consultative processes.”
Ms Nusseibeh said the UAE supported the draft resolution’s emphasis on the need to adhere to the principles of international law and the UN Charter.
