Ukraine and Russia on Tuesday accused each other of having violated a ceasefire meant to halt the clashes between separatists and government forces in eastern Ukraine. At the same time, the countries' top diplomats called for a "strict implementation" of the Feb. 12 truce.

Bloomberg reported Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin told reporters that he and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, were deadlocked over which side had broken the accord. The deal was hammered out following a top-level diplomatic initiative by French President François Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the foreign ministers of those Western European countries joined Klimkin and Lavrov at their Paris meeting.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Ukraine and Russia disagreed on the ceasefire breaches, and Klimkin and Lavrov also offered contrary assessments of Tuesday's discussions: The Russian foreign minister deemed the encounter "very useful," while his Ukrainian colleague bemoaned the lack of a "political agreement on how to condemn what happened."

Nevertheless, Klimkin, Lavrov, Steinmeier and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius all renewed their calls for a total ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, according to the Agence France-Presse.

"We call for the strict implementation of all provisions of the Minsk accords starting with a total ceasefire and complete withdrawal of heavy weapons," Fabius said after three hours of talks.

Steinmeier, though, admitted that after repeated violations, the situation remained "extremely fragile."

In an interview with Russian state television, President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, ruled out the possibility of an all-out war with Ukraine.

"I think that such an apocalyptic scenario is unlikely, and I hope that it will never happen," Putin said. "If the Minsk accords are complied with, then I am sure that the situation will gradually get back to normal. No one needs a conflict, moreover an armed one, on the periphery of Europe."

Ukraine has accused Moscow of supplying pro-Russian rebels with additional tanks to bolster their forces around Mariupol in the latest allegation that its neighbor is supporting the insurgency. Russia denies it is sending arms and troops, though it made similar statements over Crimea, which it ultimately annexed, AFP noted.

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