The militants of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) are ready to stop firing and withdraw their troops from the contact line with the Ukrainian government forces if Russia acts as a guarantor of a peace process in eastern Ukraine.

"We welcome Russia's possible involvement in the mediating efforts toward separating the conflicting parties, as well as the use of Russian drones in monitoring the situation. Certainly, if Russia acts as a guarantor of security in the region, we are ready to stop firing and withdraw our weapons from the contact line," DPR First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Purgin told Interfax.

The lack of proper mechanisms of control over the situation obstructs the arrangement of a full-scale truce, he said.

"No mechanisms of ceasefire observance control have still been worked out, and the OSCE mission has only a mandate of monitors rather than controllers. Surely, if they had a controller mandate, this would help de-escalate tensions, and then the OSCE mission could increase the number of its specialists here," he said.

"The DPR is interested in Ukraine starting mine-clearance procedures in the region with Russia's mediation or influence," he said.

"The Ukrainian forces have laid lots of minefields here, there are no charts, and only those who laid the mines know how these mines are arranged. We would be grateful to Russia if its mediation or influence prompted Ukraine to start clearing the minefields. We have already 12 children who have hit these mines," he said.

"About 75% of the separating line has been agreed upon now," he said.

"There is no fighting where the separating line has been agreed upon, and some armed clashes have happened on the part where there has been no agreement, that is, on some 25% of this line," Purgin said.