Ukraine is committed to settling the conflict in its eastern regions through dialogue and implementation of the Minsk Peace Agreement, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said on Thursday.

"The conflict in eastern Ukraine can be solved only by peaceful means at the negotiating table," Poltorak was quoted as saying by the Defense Ministry's press service.

Despite the escalation of the situation in Donetsk and Lugansk regions, the Ukrainian army is implementing the provisions of the Minsk agreement, including those on separating the forces along the frontline, Poltorak said.

The conflict between government troops and independence-seeking insurgents in eastern Ukraine has been raging since April 2014, claiming some 10,000 lives.

In September this year, the Contact Group on Ukraine crisis agreed to separate the rival forces to pave the way for a sustainable ceasefire and realization of political steps prescribed in the Minsk agreement, which is designed to end the confrontation. Endit

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