The 28 EU member states agreed in principle on visa-free travel for EU and Ukrainian citizens for stays of not more than 90 days in any 180-day period. The new visa arrangement with Ukraine will, however, only kick in once the European Union improves its so-called suspension mechanism, designed to lift any visa waivers in case of an emergency, like the 2015 refugee crisis.
Visa liberalization had long been sought by Kyiv, especially since Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula and its ongoing support of rebels in eastern Ukraine.
