Statement of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine regarding EU Council conclusions on Ukraine dated 23 June 2014

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine welcomes the conclusions of the EU Foreign Affairs Council on Ukraine, adopted at the meeting on June 23, 2014 in Luxembourg.

The European Union reiterated solidarity with Ukraine by adopting a number of important decisions. It is important that the EU Member States have included the position of our country, expressed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, who attended such a meeting for the first time in the history of relations between Ukraine and the EU.

Following the discussion, the European Union has unequivocally supported the peace plan of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko as a solid basis for gradual de-escalation and settlement of the situation in the east of Ukraine.

In this regard, we hope that the Russian Federation will pay attention to the unanimous call of the EU Member States to effectively support the peace plan of the President of Ukraine and take decisive measures to stop the illegal movement of fighters, weapons and equipment from Russia on the territory of Ukraine; influence the separatists to stop violence, lay down weapons and free the hostages; refrain from increasing military presence near the Ukrainian border and abolish the decision of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation as of 1 March 2014 that allows using the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine.

Being determined to achieve implementation of the peace plan of the President of Ukraine, the EU is ready to further expand sanctions against Russia in the absence of effective steps of Moscow aimed at de-escalation of the situation.

The Ministry is grateful for the EU’s strong condemnation and rejection of illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation. This position was confirmed by the EU Council’s decision to ban the import into the EU of goods produced in Crimea, with the exception of those whose origin is confirmed by Ukrainian competent authorities.

It is of unprecedented importance that the EU Council decided to send its Mission to Ukraine in the framework of the Common Security and Defense Policy that promote capacity building in Ukraine's civil security sector reform and the rule of law. Ministry hopes for a rapid deployment of the EU Mission, which will complement the respective efforts of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, which already operates in Ukraine.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the Council's decision to support the recommendations of the European Commission on Ukraine's transition to the final phase of implementation of the Action Plan on visa liberalization. This decision is an important recognition of the progress made by the Ukrainian side in recent years, the path towards a visa-free travel regime for the citizens of Ukraine to the EU. In this context, we reiterate the Government's commitment to work effective within the Implementation phase. The quality of our accomplishments in this respect will be evaluated by the European Commission this autumn.