Ukraine will regain control within 12 months over certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions occupied by illegal armed groups, Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"Ukraine will peacefully return Donbas within a year," Poroshenko said in an interview with the Turkish TV channel TRT World, the Ukrainian presidential administration wrote on its Twitter account on Thursday evening.

The president also noted that in contrast to Russia, Ukraine observes its obligations under the Minsk agreement. "Stage one of the Minsk agreement is the ceasefire. Ukraine complies with its obligations. Ukraine has withdrawn its heavy weapons, Russia has not," the statement reads.

As reported, Poroshenko was on an official visit to Turkey on March 9-10.