Visa-free regime proved Ukraine is capable of achieving great goals – Poroshenko on prospect of EU membership
Member of Parliament of Ukraine, leader of the European Solidarity party, and the fifth president of Ukraine (2014-2019) Petro Poroshenko has stated the need to consolidate efforts to obtain European Union membership, drawing parallels with the achievement of the visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens with EU countries in 2017.
"Nine years ago, Ukraine received a visa-free regime with the European Union. I remember well what it cost: years of negotiations, hundreds of fulfilled obligations, dozens of adopted laws… This same visa-free regime became a lifeline for millions of people. When the great war came, women and children crossed the border without visas and queues. In the most terrible days, Europe was open. Yes, the sky over Ukraine is closed now. The road from Kyiv abroad is no longer a few hours, but almost a day: train, bus, queues. But the visa-free regime has remained. These are the doors that did not close," Poroshenko wrote on Facebook.
According to the politician, the visa-free regime with the EU reminds us that Ukraine "knows how to achieve results when we are united around a common goal."
"Today, Ukraine is a step away from the real start of negotiations on accession to the European Union. And I say for sure that the formula has not changed. We need reforms that change the country. Institutions that work. The rule of law that protects citizens. Democracy that does not roll back even during the war. The visa-free regime proved that Ukraine is capable of achieving great goals. Now we must prove that Ukraine is capable of completing the entire journey – to full membership in the European Union," Poroshenko wrote.
As reported, the agreement on the visa-free regime between Ukraine and the EU was signed on May 17, 2017, in Strasbourg with the participation of then-President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani. On May 22 of the same year, the decision was published, and on June 11, it officially entered into force.
In December 2025, in a joint statement by Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Taras Kachka following an informal meeting of European affairs ministers, it was stated that Ukraine must take a series of measures to implement anti-corruption policy and rule-of-law policy within the framework of the EU accession process throughout the coming year 2026, in particular, to adopt comprehensive amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code and other legislation.
In addition, it was envisaged that Ukraine would promote the strengthening of the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) and the protection of their jurisdiction from circumvention and undue influence by clearly delineating investigative powers between pre-trial investigation bodies and establishing clear rules for the prevention and resolution of jurisdictional conflicts in criminal proceedings, as well as facilitate the expansion of the jurisdiction of NABU and SAPO to all high-risk positions based on an existing independent assessment.
At the end of April 2026, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Taras Kachka stated that work on all recommendations of the so-called "Kachka-Kos" communiqué is ongoing and there are no delays in the deadlines.
On May 11, Kos called on member states to "as soon as possible" officially open all negotiation clusters regarding Ukraine’s EU accession, and at the beginning of June, she arrived in Ukraine on a visit. The opening of the first cluster, "Fundamentals. Rule of Law," is expected on June 15.