United States Secretary of State John Kerry has urged Russian Foreign Minister Sergiy Lavrov to stop ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine, in particular, attacks on the town of Debaltseve in Donetsk region, U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Jennifer Psaki said.

"Secretary Kerry spoke with Foreign Minister Lavrov this morning. He pressed Foreign Minister Lavrov to stop Russian and separatist attacks on Ukrainian positions in Debaltseve and other violations of the ceasefire," she said at a daily briefing in Washington on Wednesday.

According o Psaki, the Secretary urged Russia to secure access to Debaltseve for OSCE monitors who "have been blocked from performing their responsibilities according to Minsk agreements Russia signed in February and last September."