BRUSSELS, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday expressed concern over the situation in eastern Ukraine, calling for "an immediate return to the ceasefire."
Speaking at a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Stoltenberg addressed "the most serious spike in violence" in eastern Ukraine, "especially in and around Avdiivka and we see that the ceasefire is not respected."
"There have been over 5,600 ceasefire violations in the past week. This is according to the latest updates from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)," he added.
Stoltenberg stressed that OSCE monitors must be guaranteed to the region. "All parties should implement their commitments under the Minsk Agreements in full," he said.
He called on Russia "to use its considerable influence" to bring the violence to an end.
He also stated that NATO would continue to stand by Ukraine with strong political and practical support.
Russia called on Ukraine to "immediately stop armed provocations" in the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, according to a statement issued by the Russian foreign ministry.
