U.S. Strongly Supports Ukraine's EU Integration Aspirations - U.S. Secretary of State

KYIV, Ukraine, August 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

The U.S. is committed to helping Ukraine as it works to become a prosperous European democracy with a free and open economy. American government strongly supports Ukraine's fulfillment of the EU requirements for signing the Association Agreement including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Zone at the Vilnius Summit in November. This was stated by the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on behalf of President Obama and the American people on the occasion of the 22^nd anniversary of Ukraine's independence, reads iipdigital.usembassy.gov.

"The American and Ukrainian people share a proud history as partners and friends. Every day, we work together on mutually important issues, from promoting economic growth and energy diversification to cooperating on nuclear security and non-proliferation," said Kerry congratulating Ukrainians before the national holiday.

The United States appreciated Ukraine's work as the chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Secretary Kerry specifically highlighted the Eastern European country's efforts toward advancement of global peace and security. The American government looks forward to continued cooperation on the above mentioned and other important issues while strengthening the ties with Ukrainian government and people, reads the statement.

On May 10, 2013, before the meeting with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara in Washington, DC, Secretary Kerry made the following remarks: "We are working in a continued way to include - improving our relationship with respect to proliferation and security matters. We're very grateful to the Ukrainian leadership for their cooperation on that. And we are particularly committed to helping Ukraine work to become a prosperous European democracy, and we appreciate their commitment to that."

Leonid Kozhara then informed his counterpart on the implementation of major reforms in Ukraine, aimed at introducing European standards in all the aspects of life. The Minister also stressed the strategic importance of concluding the Association with the EU in November 2013. To which Secretary Kerry outlined the U.S.'s continued support for Ukraine's European integration course and highlighted the importance of the EU recommendations implementation while  strengthening the foundations of democracy and the rule of law.