Not to give Ukraine EU visa deal will embolden Putin - Rasmussen

Former NATO secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen speaks during a meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kiev, Ukraine, in this September 10, 2015 handout photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service. REUTERS/Mykhailo Markiv/Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters

KIEV (Reuters) - Russia will be more aggressive towards Ukraine if the European Union does not honour a promise of visa-free travel for Ukrainians, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former NATO chief and now an adviser to Kiev's president, said on Tuesday.

Rasmussen said he hoped Ukraine would get a firm commitment at an EU-Ukraine summit on Thursday on waiving visas for Ukrainians making short visits to EU territory. EU member states gave conditional approval to the move last week but agreed it would be implemented only after the bloc beefs up a mechanism to suspend visa-free deals in any emergency.