Reactions and comments coming in this morning about Ukraine's visa-free travel to the EU taking effect today:
In a message on Twitter posted on June 11, European Council President Donald Tusk wrote, "A day to remember. Visa free travel for Ukrainians now a reality. Bringing us closer together."
In a video address, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn congratulated Ukraine for having achieved visa liberalization.
“It was a long process but finally the reform efforts paid off,” he said. “This is a real milestone proving that the European Union delivers on its promises.”
“Ukraine's commitment to the reform process will always result in tangible benefits for the citizens. This should be a motivation to stay on the reform course,” Hahn also said.
“Today we bring down a barrier between the people of Ukraine and the people of the European Union,” EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a seperate video address.
“It will create new opportunities for all of us, strengthening our economies, or security, and our friendship,” she also said. “And this is what our partnership is all about: making a difference to our citizens’ everyday life.”
Hugues Mingarelli, head of the EU delegation to Ukraine, said at the ceremony in Kyiv that Ukrainians will be able “to travel to 33 countries of West Europe without any visa requirements.”
Mingarelli said the visa-free regime was “just the first step” toward "intensifying relations" between the EU and Ukraine.
We are now closing the live blog for today, but we'll be back again tomorrow morning to follow all the latest developments. Until then, you can catch up with all our other Ukraine coverage here.