Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, speaking at a meeting with Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Chairperson-in-Office and Austria's Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs Sebastian Kurz, said he was confident that respect toward international law would be restored in Donbas, the Ukrainian presidential administration said on Monday evening.

"It is necessary to make it clear to Russia every day that it will not avoid responsibility for the flagrant disregard for the norms and principles of international law, and that its hopes for an easing of sanctions pressure are futile," Poroshenko said.

Efforts to settle the situation in Donbas require the application of the OSCE's full potential, including the need to continue working on the issue of stationing an OSCE armed police mission in Donbas, he said. The Ukrainian president also welcomed the intention of the Austrian presidency to bolster the technical capabilities of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission helping to monitor the observance of the ceasefire in Donbas.

Poroshenko also called on the OSCE chairperson-in-office to respond in every possible way to Russia's violations of Ukrainian citizens' rights, as well as help secure the release of prisoners in Russia and in Donbas.