Ukraine president promises EU will approve visa-free travel next month

The legal documents granting Ukraine a visa-free travel regime with be signed and ratified by the European Parliament by Nov. 24, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said in a television interview broadcast on Oct. 23. “There are no doubts,” the president said, adding. “Why? Because the Ukraine-EU summit will occur on Nov. 24 and we agreed that the documents will be ready by the summit.” He said his government gained support from the parliament’s largest factions from both the Left and Right, which amounts to an “absolute majority” that would vote for the measure. He said the biggest current hurdle is a technical issue on how the visa-free regime could be halted if security threats arise.

Zenon Zawada: With his bold remarks expressing confidence and “no doubts” about a visa-free regime, the president has placed very high stakes on this political promise. If it’s fulfilled, he will enjoy a boost in public confidence and calm the protest electorate for at least six months. If it fails, he will not only be humiliated for issuing his latest broken promise, of which there are many: the protest electorate will swell and his support will sink further.

The visa-free regime will depend on support from the European Parliament, yet anti-migrant sentiments are swelling there and some center-politicians may vote against the position of their respective parties. Moreover, the Turkish government is certain to raise a big scandal if its citizens aren’t granted visa-free regime alongside Ukrainians. We admire the president’s confidence and hope it’s well-placed, yet we see moderate risk that he will end up with egg on his face.