Russia is ready to convene a Normandy Format meeting in a bid to achieve "a full implementation" of the Minsk agreements of February 12, said Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Monday. Lavrov's statements came against the background of renewed hostilities in eastern Ukraine.

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, Russia's top diplomat added that Moscow will present two documents to shed light on Kiev's efforts concerning the implementation of the peace roadmap. Russia thinks it is necessary to bring the Normandy Four back to the negotiation table, as "the Normandy Four - Germany and France above all - are responsible for how Ukrainian authorities fulfil their obligations," Lavrov explained.

Concluding his statement, he expressed his hope that a meeting of the contact group on Ukraine would "reverse the trend of Kiev's refusal to engage in a direct dialogue" with the self-defence forces of the self-proclaimed Peoples Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk (DPR/LPR).

Heightened violence in eastern Ukraine saw nine people reportedly killed in overnight shelling from Sunday to Monday near Gorlovka and Mariupol. February's truce led to a let-up of the fighting that has killed over 6,500 according to UN figures. However, the truce has been crumbling in the recent weeks.