Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced that Ukrainian special forces fighting rebels in the east are to halt their attacks, according to his peace plan.

He said that the "unilateral ceasefire" is the first part of his initiative, which "must draw support from all participants in the Donbass events".

In his statement he refused to set any specific date to start his plan.

Poroshenko repeated that rebels are to be granted amnesty, and "mercenaries" (those who, as the ruling elite believes, come from Russia) would be allowed to leave the country.

Eastern borders should be blocked as the plan is being carried out, as "a huge risk exists that criminals take advantage of the ceasefire," Interfax quoted Poroshenko as saying. In his view, pro-Russian activists, which have been fighting Kiev forces for months, could receive support and reinforcements from outside.  

A ten-kilometer buffer zone is to be established along the border with Russia, as the Ukrainian President explained to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

As the two spoke over the phone, Poroshenko asked Merkel to assist his country in controlling the border, and official reports suggest she showed approval of the steps he offers to solve the crisis.

Plans for sealing off the border with Russia were first announced earlier this week by Ukraine's Defense Ministry.

Apart from Merkel, Poroshenko also spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss proposed measures.

The Kremlin says the two presidents also touched other subjects, including the death of two Russian journalists near Luhansk, in the east of Ukraine.

Poroshenko promised his counterpart Kiev is to launch an investigation into the tragic events.

Their conversation followed an explosion in Central Ukraine that hit a transit gas pipeline linking Russia and Slovakia.

Kiev declared the incident might have been a "deliberate" act, with Interior Minister Arsen Avakov claiming Russia could be behind it as it intended "to  bring Ukraine into disrepute as a partner in the gas sector".

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