British ambassador announces start of visa talks with Ukraine in a year

"When we come to the end of this period, then we will have to negotiate a bilateral agreement [on visas] with Ukraine and settle this issue. Then we will hold talks – on trade and other issues – with the Government of Ukraine. But we will do this later," British Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons said on the air of a Ukrainian TV channel on January 31, TSN reports.

She reminded that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky extended the visa waiver for the UK citizens for one year.

According to her, the President of Ukraine issued a corresponding decree because the UK would no longer be a member of the European Union, while international agreements would remain in force.

"The issue of visa waiver is not a political issue, it is a border security issue. And border security is the reason why the UK was not a party to the Schengen agreement. And this policy has not changed. After we leave the EU, the visa regime for Ukrainians will be kept. That is, there will be no change: if you travel to the UK from Ukraine, you will need to get a visa," Simmons said.

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