Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said that the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union will be implemented from the first minute after its ratification, and in fact it is a program of reforms in the country, the press service of the head of state has reported.

Poroshenko said at a meeting with the heads of parliamentary factions and groups that the Association Agreement would be ratified in full.

"No point, no comma, no word of the agreement agreed, initialed and signed by me on June 27 has changed. And the implementation of the agreement starts from the first minute," he said.

He noted that the ratification process would begin simultaneously: as planned, in the Verkhovna Rada at 1300 Kyiv time and in the European Parliament at 1100 CET. The European Parliament held preparations for ratification at a special shortened procedure.

"Those things that required three or four months of hard work in preparing for ratification in the European Parliament were done in a very short period of time - we spent only two weeks," Poroshenko said.

He said that the implementation of the agreement meant the rule of law, freedom of speech, decisive anti-corruption steps and reforms, a significant portion contained in a separate agreement on the visa-free regime, the investment climate, and the protection of individual and property rights.

"I think that in fact this is a program of reforms in our country. Implementation will be carried out from the first minute," he said.

Poroshenko also added: "Thanks to the brilliant efforts of Ukrainian diplomats, we managed to achieve the right, not the obligation to protect the Ukrainian market through appropriate rates of duty on goods that we import, to protect domestic producers, the national budget, the exchange rate so that the currency does not run away from the country in time of war. I emphasize that this right is fully in the hands of Ukraine."

He also thanked the leaders of factions and groups for "a firm and principled position" regarding the ratification of the Association Agreement with the EU, which is planned for September 16, as well as all those who took part in the development of this "very ambitious pilot project."

"Today and tomorrow are historic days in Ukraine," he concluded.