SINGAPORE (AFP) -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Tuesday a ceasefire along the front line in the east of his country appeared to be holding after Kiev declared a "day of silence" in the war with pro-Russian separatists.

"Today, one and a half hour ago, we declared a new ceasefire," Poroshenko said at a public lecture in Singapore.

"We don't have one shot, we don't have any killed soldiers," he said.

Poroshenko was speaking to academics, diplomats and business executives at a public lecture organised by the International Institute for International Studies.

He said his country was ready to "stop the bleeding" but not at the expense of "giving up" its freedom, democracy, sovereignty and independence.

He added that the conflict was not a war for Ukraine alone but a "war for freedom, for democracy, for Europe".

The government in Kiev has dubbed the ceasefire that went into effect on Tuesday as "a day of silence".

It appeared to be largely holding despite the delay of planned peace talks between Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels, due to be held in the Belarussian capital Minsk. Talks are expected to get underway on Friday.

AFP reporters said fighting in the main rebel-held city of Donetsk had stopped abruptly at dawn after a night of artillery exchanges, with only a single shell heard since then.