Ukraine would be withdrawing additional troops and weaponry from the eastern Donbass region ahead of peace talks with Russia France and Germany, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday.

The announcement followed Zelenskiy's meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in the capital Kiev.

Stoltenberg, who reaffirmed NATO's continued support to Ukraine in its fight against Russia-backed forces, welcomed efforts to end hostilities.

The alliance chief arrived in the Ukrainian port of Odessa on Wednesday where he visited four NATO naval vessels.

Stoltenberg said: "We welcome all efforts to reduce tensions, to withdraw forces and to make sure that we have a peaceful solution to the conflict."

He also urged Russia to withdraw troops from eastern Ukraine.

Both sides began withdrawing troops in a phased manner this week from the town of Zolote in a bid to end the five-year conflict.

Zelenskiy said he would initiate pullback from the second location, Petrivske, on Monday if the ceasefire held.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was "always ready" for talks "as long as they are well prepared and don't just lead to empty conversations but end with concrete results that are beneficial to a settlement as a whole".

Relations between the two countries nosedived after Russia recognised the breakaway Republic of Crimea in 2014 and extended support to separatist forces who control large swathes of territory in eastern Ukraine.

The vicious conflict, in what was once the industrial heartland of Ukraine, has claimed some 13,000 lives.

Despite a ceasefire, agreed in Belarus in 2015, violent clashes have continued with both sides accusing each other of flouting the agreement.