Jean-Claude Juncker, the EU Commission president, will on Monday chair the meeting of the Ukrainian government. It will be hisfirst bilateral trip since taking office in November.

Jean-Claude Juncker, the EU Commission president, will on Monday chair the meeting of the Ukrainian government. It will be hisfirst bilateral trip since taking office in November.

"The president of Ukraine [Petro Poroshenko] did me the honour of asking me to co-chair the meeting of the Council of Ministers“, Juncker confirmed. Hewill be accompanied by EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

On Wednesday, the European Parliament formally approved new economic aid worth €1.8 billion for Ukraine, two-thirds of which could be disbursed by the end of the 2015

The EU agreed on the aid, in the form of loans, in January.

"Ukraine is not alone. Europe stands united behind Ukraine and the reform agenda of the new government," Juncker said in January when he announced the aid.

Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commision vice-president for the euro, indicated on Wednesday that the EU could give more money in future.

"We`ll need to discuss further assistance in coming months," he said on Twitter. "To clarify: the financial assistance to Ukraine annot be used for military operations."

EU leaders will again hold a summit with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko next month in Kiev, and are expected to discuss the status of the Minsk ceasefire agreement in eastern Ukraine.

"We expect that the EU-Ukraine summit will take place on April 27," Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesman Yevhen Perebiynis said.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk will attend, as well as EU heads of state and government who wish to go.

Trade issues will likely also be on the agenda, the officials said.

The summit will be a chance for Poroshenko, who attended an EU summit in Brussels in February, to brief leaders on whether the Ukraine ceasefire deal is fully working and to shape the EU's decision on whether to extend or lift sanctions onRussia.

EU leaders agreed last week that economic sanctions imposed on Russia will stay in place until a Ukraine peace deal is fully implemented, effectively extending them to the end of the year if need be.

But they will still have to take a formal decision later on whether to extend economic sanctions on Russia expiring in July.

Russia has always denied assertions by Ukraine, backed by the United States and the European Union, that it has been sending arms and troops across the border to support the pro-Moscow separatists.

Stung by U.S. and EU sanctions against its finance, oil and defense sectors, Russia has hit back by banning most Western food imports. The trade war is hurting both the Russian and European economies.

http://www.neurope.eu/article/juncker-ukraine-monday