President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko on Thursday accepted the credentials of the new British Ambassador to Ukraine Judith Gough, the presidential press service has reported.

Poroshenko thanked Great Britain for its solidarity with Ukraine and its comprehensive support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country.

"Great Britain is a reliable partner of Ukraine. We feel the support of the United Kingdom and the solidarity of the British people with Ukrainians in these difficult times," Poroshenko said.

Poroshenko and Gough discussed the conditions and prospects of Ukrainian-British relations, particularly in the context of enhancing military and military-technical cooperation.

"The Ukrainian and British militaries have demonstrated their willingness to stand side-by-side and defend not only the territorial integrity of Ukraine, but also freedom and democracy on the entire European continent," Poroshenko said, and he went on to thank Gough for the assistance of the UK in the training of Ukrainian servicemen.

Poroshenko spoke about the danger of the Minsk agreements and the peace process in Donbas being disrupted due to yesterday's statements by leaders of pro-Russian terrorist organizations on their intention to hold fake elections in the so-called 'Donetsk People's Republic' and 'Luhansk People's Republic'.

Poroshenko stressed the importance of the consultative of the United Kingdom in the process of implementing systemic reforms in Ukraine, and noted the broader support for the European integration of Ukraine, particularly on the issue of the introduction of the visa-free regime with the EU.

Poroshenko said that he has instructed the National Security and Defense Council to remove BBC journalists from the list of individuals subject to sanctions due to their involvement in the annexation of Crimea and aggression in Donbas.

The president emphasized: "Freedom of the press is an absolute value for me."

Poroshenko and Gough also discussed the upcoming visit of Poroshenko to the United Kingdom, as well as the meeting between the president and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron at the UN General Assembly in New York in late September.