EU Members Endorse Visa Liberalization For Ukraine
By RFE/RL
BRUSSELS -- European Union member states endorsed visa liberalization for Ukraine on May 11, clearing the final hurdle for Ukrainian citizens to travel to the EU's Schengen Area without a visa.
Representatives of the European Council and the European Parliament are now expected to rubber-stamp the decision in Strasbourg on May 17, with the visa-free regime due to enter into force on June 11.
The decision will apply to all Ukrainian citizens who have biometric passports. They will be able to enter all EU member states apart from Ireland and the United Kingdom for up to 90 days during any 180-day period.
It also applies to the four Schengen-area countries that are not in the EU: Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.
Visa-free EU travel began on March 28 for citizens of Georgia, another former Soviet republic that is under pressure from Russia.
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Pence Expresses 'Unwavering' U.S. Support For Ukraine's Sovereignty
Vice President Mike Pence expressed the Trump administration's "unwavering support" for Ukraine's sovereignty in a meeting with the country's foreign minister on May 10.
A White House statement said Pence met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin as President Donald Trump was meeting with Klimkin's Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.
The statement said Pence stressed America's support for Ukraine's "territorial integrity" while urging Kyiv to "peacefully resolve the conflict" with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
The conflict with separatists began in 2014 about the same time Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, drawing condemnation and a series of sanctions on Russia from Europe and the United States.
Trump's meeting with Lavrov was aimed at fulfilling his campaign pledge to improve relations with Russia, while Pence's meeting with Klimkin appeared aimed at assuring Kyiv that better relations with Moscow would not come at Ukraine's expense.
Based on reporting by AP
That concludes our live-blogging of the Ukraine crisis for Wednesday, May 10, 2017. Check back here tomorrow for more of our continuing coverage. Thanks for reading and take care.