Updated 4:40 p.m. Moscow Time
MOSCOW, September 10 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday called on the global community to assume a balanced approach to the situation in Ukraine.
"The truce in Ukraine is still fragile. Kiev must hear all arguments, seek contacts with representatives of southeastern regions because it is an internal Ukrainian conflict, which should not spread outside the country," Medvedev said at a meeting with United Russia party members.
"This is vital in the current situation, and the global community, on its part, must certainly demonstrate a balanced approach because only in this case peace could be fully restored on the Ukrainian soil," the prime minister stressed.
Medvedev also said Russia would do everything possible to assist in the peace process in the crisis-hit Ukraine, and expressed hope that the fragile truce between the Kiev regime and independence supporters in eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions would hold.
Representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) agreed to a ceasefire between Kiev and Ukrainian independence supporters during the September 5 meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine in Minsk.
The ceasefire came into force at 15:00 GMT the same day, but both the Ukrainian military and independence fighters have since accused each other of violating the agreement.
On Monday, the chairman of the OSCE Permanent Council, Thomas Greminger, said that the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine had been "as a whole" observed.
The ceasefire agreement reached in Minsk has several provisions, including one that requires Ukraine to adopt a law outlining special status for the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
