As the cease-fire announced by Ukrainian President Poroshenko ended Thursday, many Ukrainians from the eastern provinces began lining up to cross the border into Russia.

According to rebel accounts and Associated Press journalists, around 5,000 people had fled Wednesday evening at the border post near the rebel-held city of Luhansk. Many of those crossing the border with families sympathetic to the rebel cause did not say whether they would return to Ukraine once the violence dissipates.

Throughout the conflict, citizens in the rebel-held provinces in the industrial east have endured Ukrainian artillery bombardments and constant firefights. According to United Nations estimates, around 400 people have perished since the conflict began.

Poroshenko has urged his Russian counterpart to support peace plans "with deeds, not words," and Vladimir Putin has responded by asking Ukraine to extend the truce and hold talks with the rebels. In turn, Poroshenko announced Thursday that separatists had agreed to hold talks with Ukrainian, Russian and European envoys, according to the AP. This would be the second round of talks since Monday, when rebel leaders began participating in discussions with Kiev.

The AP reports that a Russian news agency said rebel leader Andrei Purgin confirmed the next round of talks will be Friday in the rebel-held city of Donetsk. However, Poroshenko has said nothing about extending the cease-fire, which may depend on the talks' outcome.

In the meantime, more civilians continue to flee across the border. Russian immigration officials say around 90,000 Ukrainians have crossed the border since fighting began. However, not many have asked for refugee status, which would require them to remain in Russia for at least six months.

Secretary of State John Kerry and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have asked Putin to de-escalate the situation by putting pressure on the rebels. Otherwise, Kerry threatened further sanctions against Russia. Though the European Union has also expressed frustration with Russia's intransigence, it appears reluctant to damage economic relations with country over the issue, according to The New York Times.