Over forty countries are ready to participate in the peacekeeping operation in the occupied territory of Donbas, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"At present, more than forty countries have agreed to participate in the peacekeeping operation," Poroshenko said in an interview with Ukrainian television channels on Friday evening.

He noted that "the issue of peacekeepers is extremely important" to Ukraine.

"A year and a half ago the world did not want even to listen about peacekeepers – they said it was very expensive, it's several billion dollars... no one will go to Ukraine to help Ukraine establish peace as a key element of the Minsk agreements and return of the territories occupied by Russia under Ukrainian sovereignty," Poroshenko said.