BRUSSELS/KIEV (Reuters) - EU leaders will hold a summit with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko next month in Kiev, officials said on Wednesday, and are likely to discuss the status of the Minsk ceasefire agreement in eastern Ukraine.
"We expect that the EU-Ukraine summit will take place on April 27," Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesman Yevhen Perebiynis said.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk are expected to attend, as well as EU heads of state and government who wish to go, EU officials added.
Trade issues will likely also be on the agenda, the officials said.
The summit will be a chance for Poroshenko, who attended an EU summit in Brussels in February, to brief leaders on whether the Ukraine ceasefire deal is fully working and to shape the EU's decision on whether to extend or lift sanctions on Russia.
EU leaders agreed last week that economic sanctions imposed on Russia will stay in place until a Ukraine peace deal is fully implemented, effectively extending them to the end of the year if need be.
But they will still have to take a formal decision later on whether to extend economic sanctions on Russia expiring in July.
Russia has always denied assertions by Ukraine, backed by the United States and the European Union, that it has been sending arms and troops across the border to support the pro-Moscow separatists.
Stung by U.S. and EU sanctions against its finance, oil and defense sectors, Russia has hit back by banning most Western food imports. The trade war is hurting both the Russian and European economies.
(Reporting by Robin Emmott, Alastair Macdonald, Adrian Croft and Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
