The leaders of Ukraine, Russia, and Germany have reached an agreement to provide European security monitors access to eastern Ukraine, where fighting has raged on despite an internationally brokered cease-fire.

A German government statement said Tuesday the agreement was reached during a conference call between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The statement said the leaders agreed on unspecified “concrete steps” that will provide access to officials with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which is monitoring the shaky cease-fire.

Pro-Russian rebels have surrounded and continue to attack the eastern Ukrainian town of Debaltseve, which is being held by the Ukrainian military.

On Tuesday, rebel spokesman Denis Pushilin told Reuters the separatists have the “moral” right to defend the city, which he called “internal territory.” He also said the rebels were ready for a mutual withdrawal, but will continue to “respond to fire.”

The United States said it is “gravely concerned” over the deteriorating situation in and around Debaltseve. The U.S. State Department, in a statement Monday, said 129 rebel cease-fire violations have been recorded since late Sunday, along with five deaths. 

Spokeswoman Jen Psaki described the violations reported by the Kyiv government as “aggressive actions” that threaten the cease-fire agreement announced last week by Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France, which calls for government and separatist forces to withdraw heavy weapons.

On Monday, separatists offered Ukrainian forces safe-passage out of Debaltseve if they laid down their arms. But Ukraine promptly rejected the idea and said the town lies within its territory under the truce negotiated at the 4-nation summit in Minsk, Belarus. The devastated town has seen major fighting constantly since earlier truce efforts failed last month.

Ukraine and a host of Western governments accuse Russia of stoking the rebellion in Ukraine’s Russian-speaking east with arms and fighters, while the Kremlin denies providing direct support.

With those denials flatly rejected by Western governments, the European Union on Monday unveiled a new round of sanctions against Moscow for its widely perceived role in the Ukraine crisis. The new penalties target Russia’s deputy defense minister and 18 more individuals with travel bans and asset freezes.

Russia said it would make an “appropriate response” to the sanctions, while condemning them as “inconsistent and illogical” because they were issued within days of the cease-fire that Russian President Vladimir Putin helped negotiate.
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