The Russian-led insurgents in eastern Ukraine have said they are ready for a ceasefire in response to same steps taken by Kyiv, however this does not mean changing the course for separating from Ukraine.

This was announced by head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) Ihor Plotnytsky.

"We are ready for a ceasefire on both sides from 1800 but this does not mean that the course for separation will change somehow. This [ceasefire] is a forced measure in order to stop the bloodshed," Plotnytsky told reporters in Minsk on Friday evening.