Ukraine said on Sunday that the confrontation line with the separatists in the east of the country was calm, without any breach of the ceasefire, while Kiev intensified its efforts to join NATO.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said that the monitoring forces of the European Organization for Cooperation and Security - responsible for monitoring the ceasefire - were prevented from passing through the pro-Russian separatist checkpoints in Donetsk (east of the country).

She added that the drones used to monitor the front line were subjected to electronic jamming, indicating that such actions destabilize stability.

On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his hope for the support of the Allied countries in NATO for Ukraine to join the alliance, and to present a practical plan for that.

Military exercises

On Saturday, the Ukrainian army announced that joint military exercises would begin within a few months with NATO forces, in a move that could inflame tensions with Moscow, which had expressed its objection to such a step.

NATO expressed concern on Thursday about what it described as a major Russian military buildup near eastern Ukraine, after Russia warned that a dangerous escalation in the conflict in Ukraine's Donbas region could "destroy" Ukraine.

The Kremlin said Friday that any deployment of NATO forces to Ukraine would lead to more tensions near Russia's borders and would force Moscow to take additional measures to ensure its security.

And amid the escalation of attacks and clashes since last January after a truce that lasted for many months, and Russian military movements near the borders;

The Ukrainian president called his US counterpart, Joe Biden, and confirmed that the US president had promised not to leave Ukraine alone in the face of what he called "Russian aggression."

It is noteworthy that the conflict in eastern Ukraine broke out in 2014, and has since resulted in the deaths of 14,000 people, according to official data announced by Kiev.