EU signs travel deal with Ukraine

The long-awaited visa-free travel for Ukrainian citizens was finally approved by the European Parliament and the European Council.

The deal, sealed on May 11th by the president of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, and Malta's Interior Minister Carmelo Abela, was closed in Strasbourg.

The document enables visa liberalization inside EU member states for Ukrainian residents, in what President Poroshenko called an “Historic Day” that marks the beginning of a new era.

"It is an absolutely historic day for Ukraine, for my 45 million nation, and I am absolutely confident that this is a historic day for the European Union. Ukraine returns to the European family. Ukraine says a final farewell to the Soviet and Russian Empire," President Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko commented.

Ukrainian citizens owning biometric passports will be allowed to visit EU and Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland for up to 90 to 180 days, without a visa. The decision does not apply for Ireland and the United Kingdom.

The visa-free regulation will take effect starting June 11.