BRUSSELS - Ukraine's Ambassador to the European Union Kostiantyn Yeliseyev believes that a May 21-22 Eastern Partnership summit in the Latvian capital Riga will be the moment of truth for the EU's policy.
“Following the turmoil and the shock after the Vilnius summit in 2013, we and our European partners will have to answer the question about the future of the Eastern Partnership and say what we are expecting from it,” Yeliseyev told reporters in Brussels on May 12.
The stance taken by certain EU member countries will not contribute to the success of the upcoming event, he said.
“If the leaders of individual EU countries do not pay their attention to it in the coming days or, I would even say, in the coming hours, the summit may become a failure,” Yeliseyev said without naming these countries.
Kyiv is insisting that the summit’s declaration should address certain aspects that are important for Ukraine, including a liberalization of visa rules, the signing of a joint air space agreement, broader access to EU markets and assistance with implementing the Ukraine-EU Association and Free Trade Area Agreements, the diplomat said.
