Ukraine's acting president and Verkhovna Rada speaker, Oleksandr Turchynov, has said that the anti-terrorist operation in the country's eastern regions may be stopped when armed militants give up their arms.

"I would like to remind everyone once again that the anti-terrorist operation is being conducted in order to protect the citizens of Ukraine and against those who are killing, robbing, abducting people and fighting against Ukraine with weapons in their hands," he said at a parliamentary session on Thursday.

At their meeting, the heads of the Verkhovna Rada's factions and committees discussed the possibility of adopting a parliamentary declaration to form a working group made up of faction representatives, he said.

This group "can submit proposals saying that the anti-terrorist operation may be stopped when [militants] give up their weapons and free the hostages," Turchynov said.

"We want this issue to be resolved by peaceful methods," Turchynov said.