Ukraine plans overhaul of citizenship process after Putin's passport offer

FILE PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy holds a news conference after meeting European Council President Donald Tusk in Brussels, Belgium, June 5, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir/File Photo

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has ordered an overhaul of the process for granting Ukrainian citizenship, in response to a Russian decree expanding the number of Ukrainians who can apply for fast-track Russian passports.

Zelenskiy's office said early on Thursday, just a few hours after the Kremlin published Russian President Vladimir Putin's order, that the foreign ministry would simplify the procedure for certain groups to attain Ukrainian citizenship.