Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman met with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development of France Jean-Marc Ayrault. The parties discussed the state of implementation of the Minsk agreements and the situation in the east of the country.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Prime Minister thanked France for assistance to Ukraine in countering Russian aggression.

"The Government is eager to develop mutually beneficial relations with France in various spheres", said Volodymyr Groysman.

The Head of Government briefed on the situation in Donbas. He stressed that there is no alternative to the Minsk deals and Ukraine strictly adheres to the assumed commitments.

In this context, the Prime Minister highlighted that sanctions against Russia should be preserved until it completely complies with its obligations under the Minsk agreements.

While on the subject of temporary occupation by Russia of territories of Ukraine, Volodymyr Groysman noted that the annexation of Crimea is accompanied by the accelerated militarization of the peninsula, thereby completely worsening the security situation in the area. "Russia is actually transforming Crimea into a huge military base," he stressed.

In this regard, Ukraine highly appreciates the consistent position of France concerning non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea and elections in the State Duma of the Russian Federation, said the Prime Minister.

Apart from that, the Head of Ukraine’s Government thanked for the initiative of creating a "road map" for the implementation of the Minsk agreements and for providing proposals to it, what was agreed by the NormandyFour leaders in Berlin.

The parties also focused on the issue of the deployment of armed OSCE missions and mine clearing of territories in Donbas.

Moreover, the sides discussed visa liberalization. In this context, Volodymyr Groysman stressed that Ukraine had fulfilled all the requirements necessary for visa-free regime.

The Prime Minister also noted the need to complete the ratification of the Association Agreement.

He also informed Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development of France Jean-Marc Ayrault on the Government’s reforms in Ukraine and initial achievements on this path.