Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed rebels in the country’s east have traded fresh accusations of shelling and other ceasefire violations as tensions continue to escalate.

Russia’s Interfax news agency reported the Luhansk self-proclaimed rebel republic reported several incidents of mortar fire this morning.

However, the Kyiv government hit back saying the rebels fired artillery or mortars four times on Friday.

Separately, the Ukrainian military said in a statement late on Thursday they had no plans to launch an offensive on the rebels’ positions or shelling of civilians and would “strictly adhere to the Minsk agreements and norms of international humanitarian law”.

“Our actions are purely defensive,” commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Ukraine lieutenant general Valery Zaluzhny said.

Blinken and Lavrov agree to meeting

Antony Blinken is to meet the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, next week, as the US secretary of state warned the crisis in Ukraine was a “moment of peril for the lives and safety of millions of people”.

The US state department said on Thursday night that Blinken had accepted an invitation to meet Lavrov provided there was no invasion of Ukraine. The move provides hope that diplomatic channels remained open even as US warnings of an imminent invasion grow louder.

“If they do invade in the coming days, it will make clear they were never serious about diplomacy,” said state department spokesperson Ned Price. Blinken said earlier on Thursday he had sent a letter to Lavrov proposing a meeting in Europe.