Ukraine calls for visa-free travel as EU drags its feet

Police officers stand guard during a rally in front of the Ukrainian parliament building in Kiev, Ukraine, October 18, 2016. Picture taken October 18, 2016. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

KIEV/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The Ukrainian parliament called on the European Union on Wednesday to grant the former Soviet republic visa-free travel, a day before the bloc is due to debate the matter, with sources pointing to hesitation on the side of Germany and France.

Ukraine has been the heart of a dispute between the West and Russia since Moscow annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in the spring of 2014 and went on to back rebels in a war against government troops in the east of the country.