You're reading: EU welcomes new Ukrainian authorities’ steps, offers help

The European Union has welcomed the steps taken by the new Ukrainian authorities in response to the latest political developments, said it is ready to provide support to Ukraine and confirmed its offer of the association agreement.

“The European Union commends the measured response demonstrated so far by Ukraine. The European Union stands by the efforts of the new Ukrainian government to stabilize the situation and pursue the course of reforms. The EU reaffirms the necessity of further constitutional reform in Ukraine and to hold free, fair and transparent Presidential elections with OSCE-ODIHR observation. The EU reaffirms the utmost importance of ensuring inclusiveness at all levels of government by the Ukrainian authorities, including through steps designed to reach out to all Ukrainian regions, population groups and to ensure full protection of national minorities in accordance with Ukraine’s international commitments,” the EU Council sais in its conclusions adopted at a meeting on the situation in Ukraine in Brussels on Monday.

The EU is ready to further pursue its efforts with the international community and international financial institutions, especially the IMF, to assist Ukraine. “The EU and its Member States will lend their full support to an international assistance package to address the urgent needs of Ukraine, based on a clear commitment to reforms. The Council welcomes the efforts already undertaken by the Commission, which has dispatched a fact-finding mission to Kyiv in parallel to the IMF mission,” the document reads.

The Council also reconfirmed its offer of the Association Agreement, including a deep and comprehensive free trade area. “The agreement would bring opportunities for sustainable economic development and prosperity to all the regions of Ukraine, including Crimea, as well as to its neighbors. The Agreement does not constitute the final goal in EU-Ukraine cooperation. The EU reiterates its commitment to enhance people to people contacts between the EU and Ukraine, i.a. through the visa liberalization process,” the EU Council said.