KIEV (Sputnik) – Ukrainian citizens’ 90-day visa-free travel to the EU member states came into force Sunday, Poroshenko said.

“Visa-free regime for Ukraine started working!” Poroshenko posted on his Facebook account.

On May 17, President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani and Malta’s Interior Minister Carmelo Abela, presiding at the Council of the European Union, signed a document on amending the bloc’s legislation to grant Ukrainians the 90-day visa-free regime, which entered into force at midnight local time on Sunday (21:00 GMT on Saturday). </s> BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — The signed document is expected to be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and after 20 days following the publication, the Ukrainians would be able to visit the 28-nation bloc without visas.

"My congratulations to every Ukrainian! Visa-free regime for Ukraine has been officially signed in the European Parliament," Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said on his Twitter account after the signing ceremony.

In April, the European Parliament approved the introduction of the visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens for short-term travels to the EU member states. The visa-free entrance for Ukrainians would be available to all EU countries, except for Ireland, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

Ukraine has been striving for integration with the European Union for years. The two sides launched a dialogue on liberalization of the visa regime in 2008 and the bloc proposed Ukraine a road map concerning the issue in 2010. </s> "I would like to urge you to further deliver the reforms. The reforms require a lot of efforts. This means that you must continue carrying them out, this poses a lot of obligations, but it is very beneficial for you," Kiska said during the solemn joint address with Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko in the Zakarpats'ka region in western Ukraine.

Slovakia will continue supporting Ukraine on its way to Europe, Kiska added.

"Dear neighbors, welcome to Europe," the Slovak leader stressed.

The European Commission confirmed that Ukraine met all the necessary requirements for visa liberalization in December 2015, and on April 6, the European Parliament approved the introduction of the short-stay visa-free regime for Ukraine. Under the agreement, the Ukrainians will be able to enter the European Union without a visa for 90 days in a 180-day period for business purposes or tourism.

On May 17, President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani and Malta's Interior Minister Carmelo Abela, presiding at the Council of the European Union, signed a document on amending the bloc's legislation to grant visa-free regime for the Ukrainians. </s> BRUSSELS -- Representatives of the European Parliament and the European Council are due to sign a document in Strasbourg formalizing a long-awaited visa-liberalization deal with Ukraine.

After the signing on May 17, the visa-free regime is due to enter into force on June 11.

Ukrainian citizens who have biometric passports will be able to enter all EU member states apart from Ireland and the United Kingdom without a visa for up to 90 days during any 180-day period. It also applies to four Schengen-Area countries that are not in the EU: Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.

After EU member states gave their approval on May 11, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said his country had "finalized its divorce from the Russian Empire."

Poroshenko's predecessor, Viktor Yanukovych, was pushed from power in 2014 by massive pro-European protests after he scrapped plans for a deal to tighten ties with the EU.

Russia then seized control of Ukraine's Crimea region and fomented separatism in eastern Ukraine, where a war between Russia-backed forces and the government has killed more than 9,900 people.

Visa-free EU travel began on March 28 for citizens of Georgia, another former Soviet republic that is under pressure from Russia. </s> President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko sings a legislative act on granting a visa-free regime to Ukraine (European Parliament, Strasbourg).

“In Strasbourg, on May 17 – as we agreed with our European friends – the relevant legislative act will be solemnly signed. This will probably be one of my most important visits during three years of my presidency,” the president’s statement on the occasion of of granting a visa-free regime to Ukraine. </s> BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has moved a step closer to granting visa-free entry to citizens of Ukraine.

Negotiators from EU member countries and the European Parliament reached a deal late Tuesday to allow Ukrainians who have biometric passports to enter the EU for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

The visa waiver will apply to all members of the 28-nation EU except Britain and Ireland. It won’t give Ukrainians the right to work in the EU.

The deal now has to be formally endorsed by the full European Parliament and by ministers from EU member countries.

European Parliament lawmaker Mariya Gabriel said that approving the visa waiver “is an important step forward toward reforming Ukrainian society by bringing people together, building bridges across borders.” </s> Under the agreement, the Ukrainians will be able to enter the European Union without a visa for 90 days in a 180-day period for business purposes or tourism.

"Ukraine has delivered the reforms its citizens were asking for, and we in the European Union, we have kept our promise. This is what we call a win-win solution. It will create new opportunities for all of us strengthening our economies, our security and our friendship. And this is what our partnership is all about — making a difference to our citizens' everyday life," Mogherini said in a statement published by the European Commission's delegation to Ukraine on Facebook.

On May 17, President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani and Malta's Interior Minister Carmelo Abela, presiding at the Council of the European Union, signed a document on amending the bloc's legislation to grant visa-free regime for the Ukrainians. </s> Negotiators for the European Parliament and European Union member states have reached a deal to allow Ukrainian citizens to enter the political bloc without a visa.

Ukrainian citizens who have biometric passports will be able to enter the EU for up to 90 days during any 180-day period, the parliament said in a statement on March 1. The entry is valid for business, tourism or family stays.

Ukrainians have eagerly awaited the advent of visa-free travel after being stuck in a conflict with Russia-backed separatists in the east for three years. They see the visa deal is a symbol of closer ties to the EU.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Twitter hailed the move as a "formal, but important step on the road."

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said earlier this month that visa liberalization between the EU and Ukraine is expected to come into force this summer.

The deal still has to be endorsed by parliament as a whole and the EU states.

Based on reporting by dpa, Interfax, and TASS </s> Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has welcomed the pending introduction of visa-free travel by Ukrainians to the European Union as "a final 'goodbye' to the Russian Empire."

Poroshenko said on June 10 in Kyiv that he believes Ukraine will become a member of both NATO and the EU, and that "nothing, nobody will ever stop us."

"The words 'back in the U.S.S.R.' will be heard only listening to The Beatles," Poroshenko said. "We will never return to the Soviet Union because we, a proud and free democratic nation, return to the family of European nations."

Poroshenko's remarks came at a ceremony in which he launched a countdown clock for the last 12 hours before the visa-free regime is due to come into effect on June 11.

He said the "last sound of the countdown" will mark "the fall of not the concrete Berlin Wall, but the paper curtain that has been separating Ukrainians from the European Family for years."

Hugues Mingarell , head of the EU delegation to Ukraine, said at the ceremony 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.
The European Union's visa-free regime for Ukraine officially enters into force.