On 3 July 2015, Martin SCHULZ, EP President,&nbsp;was in Ukraine for an official visit. Extracts from his meetings in Kiev with Volodymyr GROYSMAN, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada,&nbsp;and with&nbsp;Petro POROSHENKO, Ukrainian President. Address to the Verkhovna Rada, signature of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and extracts from the joint press conference.

Ukraine

EU - Ukraine (T)

Kyiv

meeting

press conference

official visit

POROSHENKO, Petro (UA)

SCHULZ, Martin (S&D, DE)

signature

GROYSMAN, Volodymyr (UA)

Official visit by Martin SCHULZ, EP President to Kiev, Ukraine: meetings with Volodymyr GROYSMAN, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada and with Petro POROSHENKO, Ukrainian President

Exterior Presidential Palace (3 shots)

Handshake between Martin SCHULZ, EP President and Petro POROSHENKO, Ukrainian President

SOUNDBITE (null), Petro POROSHENKO, Ukrainian President, In Ukrainian: &ldquo;This is important for Ukraine now.&rdquo;

SOUNDBITE (null), Petro POROSHENKO, Ukrainian President, in Ukrainian &ldquo;The Verkhovna Rada and the European Parliament have ratified this agreement.&rdquo;

SOUNDBITE (English), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, &rdquo;The unlawful and illegal annexation of Crimea cannot prevent the Ukraine to go the way of the direction of the European Union. It cannot prevent us to consider the Ukraine as our ally. And our common base for cooperation are our common European values.&rdquo;

SOUNDBITE (English), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, "To show our commitment, to make it credible, you are completely right Mr. President, and I said this in the presence of your Foreign Affairs Minister, that concrete actions are necessary. One is that we sign this cooperation, this Memorandum of Understanding between the European Parliament and the Ukraine.&rdquo;

Exterior Verkhovna Rada (3 Shots), interior  (1 shot)

Arrival of Martin SCHULZ, EP President in the Chamber. Applause.

Cutaway of Martin SCHULZ, EP President in speakers lectern with photo of imprisoned Nadia SHEVSCHENKO saying:&rdquo; Freedom for Nadia SHEVSCHENKO&rdquo;.

SOUNDBITE (English), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, &rdquo;It is a great honour and pleasure to be here with you on this special day, the day of the signing of the Cooperation Agreement between the European Parliament and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. It will bring our two Parliaments, and thus our people, even closer together.&rdquo;

SOUNDBITE (English), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, &rdquo;You have resolutely chosen to embrace a European path by signing and ratifying the Association Agreement with the European Union. And we have welcomed your European choice. It was a courageous choice.&rdquo; Applause.

SOUNDBITE (English), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, &rdquo;Ladies and Gentlemen,what happens in Ukraine concerns all Europeans, not only you, it concerns all Europans.&rdquo; Applause.

SOUNDBITE (English), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, &rdquo;On the 22 of June the European Union prolonged its sanctions regime against Russia. We will keep up the sanctions until the day (applause) the letter and the spirit of the Minsk agreement is fully implemented.&rdquo;

SOUNDBITE (English), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, &rdquo;The European Parliament encourages you to address in a determined way the on-going financial crisis and fight for a functioning rule-based and responsible market economy. We want you to continue, you, our colleagues, to continue on the ambitious reform path you have embarked on.

Shot showing Andrej Plenković (EPP, HR), Kaja Kallas (ALDE, ET) and Tibor Szanyi (S&amp;D, HU), from the the Bureau of the EP Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee in the Chamber.

Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding by Martin SCHULZ, EP President and Volodymyr GROYSMAN, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada (4 shots)

SOUNDBITE (English), Martin SCHULZ, EP President , &rdquo;I would like to underline that we since long have an agenda full of problems ranging from Greece to migration, but precisely for that reason is my visit here a clear statement that the Ukraine is not forgotten, that even in the current crisis we stand by our friends in the Ukraine.&rdquo;

SOUNDBITE (English), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, &rdquo;I want to underline once more, also for my colleagues who are with me here, Miss KALLAS, Mr.SZANYI, led by MR PLENKOVIC, the Delegation of the EP the Members ,who are with me today here. We are happy, we are grateful, because we think as European parliamentarians that this is a great day for both sides, for your parliament, and for my parliament as well. This transnational parliamentarian cooperation, is a strong signal for the democratic development of your country in the direction of the European Union.&rdquo;