BERLIN

 Germany has on Friday positively responded to Kiev’s proposal for a peacekeeping force in eastern Ukraine, but underlined that several key questions should be cleared before any concrete discussion.

“Ukraine’s request for a peacekeeping force deserves careful consideration,” German Foreign Ministry deputy spokeswoman Sawsan Chebli said at a press conference in Berlin.

She noted that German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has also said on Thursday, during a visit to Democratic Republic of Congo, that Germany would consider this proposal carefully.

But Chebli also said that, above all, a stable cease-fire should be achieved in eastern Ukraine, before talking about a peace mission in the region.

“A peace mission should be demanded and supported by all sides,” she said, adding that Russia’s position on such a mission would be important.

“One also has to see which countries would be part of such a mission. We also have many questions here,” Chebli said. She added that any discussions on a possible peace mission were likely to take a long time, but in the meantime they will continue supporting the activities of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe for monitoring the cease-fire and reducing tensions.  

Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko asked the UN on Thursday to send a peacekeeping force to control fighting in the eastern region of the country.

Speaking at an emergency security meeting at the capital, he said such a force would help guarantee security "in a situation where the promise of peace is not being kept."

Poroshenko said that a European police mission could maintain the cease-fire, agreed to on Feb. 12, which has not put a stop to fighting in key areas of the region. But, if that option is not possible, a UN-backed force would be a good solution.

Fresh fighting between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian government forces was reported near the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on Friday.

According to the cease-fire agreed on Feb 12, both sides were supposed to withdraw heavy weapons in eastern Ukraine beginning Tuesday, but the OSCE which monitors the fighting, said Thursday they had not seen either side doing so.

More than 5,300 people have been killed and 12,200 others injured in eastern Ukraine since mid-April last year in the ongoing conflict, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.