We are all responsible for world, Europe and our future - Poroshenko
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko thanked principal allies of Kyiv for supporting the European integration course and the standoff with Russia at an annual meeting with foreign ambassadors on Monday, the presidential website said.
"I categorically disagree with the pessimistic or even panicky sentiment about the future of the European Union," Poroshenko said at the meeting.
The values on which the European Union rests and its institutional capacities are far stronger than the phobias with which attempts have been made to intimidate Europeans, he said.
"Sometimes Ukraine has more faith in the European project and values than the united Europe itself. No matter how some could wish, we have no intention of abandoning the European integration course under any circumstances," Poroshenko said.
He pointed to the high dynamic of relations with the U.S. last year and said he could see that the next administration was planning to live up to its obligations.
"The year 2016 witnessed high dynamics of our contacts and cooperation based on the constant two-party support to Ukraine. I was pleased to personally feel that when I was speaking on the phone with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump a few days after the elections," the press service quoted Poroshenko as saying.
The next administration will move into the White House next week, "but we can already say that the U.S. leadership in the world, the same as the fulfillment of one's obligations, is a principled stance," the president said.
"This is especially important to know for Ukraine, which is a key partner and ally of the U.S. in Europe," Poroshenko said.
In his opinion, Austria's presidency at the OSCE may give a fresh impetus to the deployment of an armed OSCE police mission in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
"The Association Agreement and the visa-free travel regime with the EU have long become integral elements of the strategy towards regaining Donbas and Crimea. An important ingredient of this strategy is the deployment of an armed OSCE police mission in Donbas," Poroshenko said.
