The territorial integrity and borders of Ukraine shall not be changed, said Ukraine Defense Minister Olexander Kuzmuk on Monday.

The Ukrainian armed forces will safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity under any circumstances, Kuzmuk told a meeting of generals and senior military officers.

According to Ukraine national news agency Ukrinform, the meeting discussed the current election standoff, especially the threats of splitting Ukraine.

The minister urged the armed forces to remain firm in the belief that the army is obliged to maintain the unity of the country.

On Sunday, local deputies from the pro-Russian east threatened to seek autonomy and hold a referendum on setting up a "Southeastern Republic" at a meeting in the eastern city of North Donetsk.

The congress of the eastern Donetsk province had decided to hold a referendum on autonomy for the province on Dec. 5.

Prime Minister Victor Yanukovich, who was declared winner of the vote last weekend, has dominant influence in the country's 14 eastern provinces and one autonomous republic. His rival, Viktor Yushchenko, is popular in west Ukraine.

Defense Minister Kuzmuk said the ongoing negotiations between the two contesting camps are the most effective way to break the deadlock following the Nov. 21 presidential runoff.

It is absolutely not allowed to act against participants of theopposition-led rallies by force, he stressed.

As the election stalemate dragged on into the eighth day, the opposition supporters still took to the streets, blocking the office buildings of the president and the prime minister with human chains.

The national congress, the Supreme Council, convened another session on Monday afternoon to discuss the situation and the Supreme Court is expected to make a ruling on the appeal by the opposition camp, demanding invalidation of the election results.