"I’m glad to be once again in Kiev. The last time I was here for the inauguration of President Poroshenko as President of Ukraine on the 7th of June 2014, the day after the Normandy battle celebrations which Ukraine attended for the first time in history. A few months earlier, I was at the Euromaidan together with my colleagues from Belgium and the Netherlands.
As the incoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union, I insisted on coming here because for the European Union, Ukraine is a priority. For me, it is indeed important to cultivate the contact with your leaders, first and foremost President Poroshenko and also my good colleague Pavlo Klimkin.
The situation in your country is dramatic. The unlawful annexation of Crimea and the worrying developments in the East are of great concern to all of us.
Luxembourg was chairing the United Nations Security Council in March 2014. We did our best to react immediately and in a constructive way.
Luxembourg fully supports the efforts of France and Germany in the Normandy format, as well as the work of the Trilateral Contact Group. We deplore that the Special Monitoring Mission of the OSCE is hampered in fulfilling its mission due to continuously reduced access on the ground.
Yesterday I met the head of the EU mission in Kiev. The heavy military means in the hands of the separatists are on the rise. More and more weapons are brought into the Donbass region, in total opposition to the Minsk agreements. The humanitarian situation is very worrying. The EU does not demand anything unreasonable from Russia. We ask to stop the flow of weapons across its border with Ukraine.
Despite all the difficulties, the Minsk agreements remain of essence. Our common aim is to stop the conflict. The European Union tries to help Ukraine politically, financially as well as on the humanitarian level. The DCFTA will enter into force on the 1st of January of 2016. The EU Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform (EUAM Ukraine), which Luxembourg is a part of, is fully on track.
The crisis should not stop Ukraine from pursuing its path of reform and modernization. Let me commend President Poroshenko for his steady commitment to reform in times of crisis. The conflict paralyzes – the reform gives hope. It is of utmost importance to implement in a wise way the concept of decentralization as well as the reform of the judiciary. Today the Venice Commission is in town to assess the progress in the constitutional reform. And I am confident, that you will manage to get a first vote on the draft Constitution in the Parliament before the end of next month.
The latest progress report of the European Commission on the Visa Liberalisation Action Plan indicates that a lot of progress has been achieved in the second phase. We encourage you to keep up the good work and we look forward to the next report under the Luxembourg Presidency.
As an incoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union, I am grateful for this exchange of views at the highest level in Kiev."