Kyiv and Brussels have agreed on the next steps, which will lead to the signing and implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.

European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule made a relevant statement in the presence of Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Serhiy Arbuzov at the end of the first round of high-level talks on the resumption of the dialogue on the signing of the Association Agreement.

Fule said that the sides had agreed to prepare a roadmap for implementation of the Association Agreement/Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (AA/DCFTA), and facilitate and continue supporting Ukraine in its endeavors to create the necessary conditions conducive to reaching an arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The sides also agreed to use the existing bilateral consultation mechanisms, which will examine swiftly in depth all issues related to the implementation of the AA/DCFTA.

"This work would include arriving at a common understanding on the expected benefits and investments," Fule said.

"We need to help Ukraine to restore rapidly the confidence not only of its citizens, but also that of international investors and creditors, as a stable and predictable economy with promising growth prospects. It is important that Ukraine tackles the immediate financial needs in a transparent manner," he said.

He cited IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, who declared that the IMF was "ready to resume negotiations with Ukraine at any time, if Ukraine wants to help its economy going in the right direction".

"There is also no better signal to send to the citizens who continue to demonstrate peacefully for a secure and prosperous future for them and their children, than a rapid signature of the Association Agreement, with DCFTA," Fule said.

Fule also reiterated the EU's position in connection with the AA/DCFTA. "Our message to both sides is the same: the Association Agreement, including DCFTA, is our offer to Ukraine and its people. This offer is still on the table. The European Union remains ready to sign it, as soon as Ukrainian authorities are ready, and prove their commitment by deeds," he said.

"All our current activities are focused on bringing us closer to the signature and implementation of the Association Agreement because this agreement provides a long term basis for our relations. It is a blueprint for modernization of Ukrainian economy and framework for some of the investments that Ukraine will have to make if it is serious about its modernization and a prosperous future. It offers our support for all of this, support to unlock the immense potential of Ukraine. The signature, and the process leading to it, should be also part of the political solution to the political crisis in Ukraine. The process needs to be inclusive and transparent," he said.