The government Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs Evangelos Venizelos is planning a trip to Kiev over the next few days, in coordination with the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Police Catherine Ashton.
As president of the EU’s General Affairs Council, Mr. Venizelos stressed that the formation of a functioning and consensual government is imperative, in order to maintain control and the country’s unity. Mr. Venizelos also proposed the immediate organization of an international summit in order to discuss the political and financial situation in Ukraine.
The head of European diplomacy informed Mr. Venizelos of her findings during her recent trip to Kiev, as well as the European Commission’s preparations, in coordination with the European External Action Service, the European Investment Bank and other European institutions, in order to create fund to support the country, in cooperation with the IMF and Russian Federation.
The visits of EU member state officials to Ukraine was also discussed, with the Foreign Affairs Ministers of neighboring countries (Slovakia, Hungary, etc) scheduled to visit Ukraine over the next few days. Mr. Venizelos has also been in touch with the Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov and other European officers. The Vice President believes that any long-term solution in Ukraine necessitates the support of the “big players” such as Russia and the USA.
