The UK will release £15 million in emergency assistance to provide food, blankets, emergency shelter and basic medical supplies to vulnerable and displaced Ukrainians, Prime Minister David Cameron announced on Monday.

"There are now more than one million people in Ukraine who have been forced from their homes and five million living in conflict-affected areas. The capacity of host communities to provide shelter is exhausted and humanitarian access to those in need remains challenging," the UK Foreign Office quotes the Prime Minister as saying.

The UK's announcement comes as the UN and the Ukrainian Government are preparing to launch an emergency appeal for the country.