Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has emphasized the need to devise a plan to step up Donbas defense and determine a strategy should the conflict escalate.

"The head of state noted that given the rise in the number of shell attacks by terrorists on the Ukrainian positions in the anti-terrorist operation zone, it is necessary to devise a strategy and agree on and coordinate further steps. 'We need a clear plan for increasing our defense in the event of conflict escalation'," the president was quoted as saying at a meeting of the Military Cabinet of the National Security and Defense Council.

At the meeting the president stressed the need to step up cooperation with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and ensure the efficiency of the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) to enable continuous monitoring of the ceasefire and prevent cases of denied access to OSCE inspectors in the heavy weaponry and artillery removal zone, according to the information available.

The head of state said that last Monday the Trilateral Contact Group ended talks in Minsk where Ukraine was offered a plan for artillery systems with a caliber of less than 100 mm, tanks and grenade launchers to be withdrawn 15 kilometers away from the dividing line.

"This is the weapon the enemy had used against the Ukrainian army in previous weeks before starting to use larger-caliber artillery this week," the president said.