The Ukrainian presidential candidates, Petro Poroshenko and Volodymyr Zelensky, at the latter's urging, went down on their knees in sign of respect for the families of people killed in Donbas.

"In regard to knees: the words were taken out of context. For everyone to be clear what I meant. It seems to me, this is clear to anyone who is smart: I am now ready to kneel before any mother who waited but never saw her son come back from the war. I am ready and will now go down on my knees before every child who waited but never saw his father return, I am ready to kneel before every woman who waited but never saw her husband return, and I am inviting you [to do likewise]," Zelensky told Poroshenko during debates at Kyiv's Olympiyskiy Stadium on Friday, switching from Russian to Ukrainian.

Zelensky explained that before the hostilities began he had recorded a message, including to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that he was prepared to go down on his knees lest the Russian president do not bring Ukraine to its knees.

After that Zelensky kneeled before the audience.

For his part, Poroshenko turned around to the national flag held up by his supporters and also kneeled.