President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko congratulated Frank-Walter Steinmeier on a convincing victory in the presidential elections that were completed on February 12, 2017.

“In the course of your tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs, you have become a true friend of Ukraine. This is a reliable basis for the further development of friendship between our nations on your new presidential post,” the Head of State noted.

Petro Poroshenko underlined the role of Germany and its leadership in the process of restoration of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The parties discussed new escalation of Russian aggression in Donbas. Special attention was paid to the aggravation of humanitarian situation in the area of Avdiivka where Russian militants keep on shelling civilian objects and blocking access to the filtration station, which endangers the water supply for the whole region.

The Head of State is hopeful that the so-called “Crimean package” of sanctions will be continued in March.

The parties praised the progress achieved between the Council, European Commission and European Parliament regarding the visa-free regime for Ukrainians and expressed hope that the given issue will be formalized shortly.

Petro Poroshenko invited Frank-Walter Steinmeier to make a visit to Ukraine.