The European Union's reaction came in response to Ukraine's recent announcement of introducing a visa-free regime for EU citizens unilaterally. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk stated that such a decision is temporary and will remain in effect at least until autumn. Even earlier, Viktor Yushchenko said that the country should be opened, and first of all to the West. During a trip to Lviv region on February 16, he said: "In a few days we will adopt a new visa procedure for Ukraine that will open the country. I would not like to set the task now of earning money from visas - now we need to set the task of how to open the country for Germans, Poles, French. No one will wait for weeks for these visas to be processed," the president admitted.
The European Union, for its part, does not intend to do Ukraine a visa favor. "We welcome the decision of the Ukrainian leadership, but we do not intend to change our European Neighborhood Policy, which provides for easing the visa regime with regard to Ukraine," said European Commission representative Emma Udwin.