Ukrainians can visit 149 countries under simplified procedure – Zelenskyi

Ukrainians can visit 149 countries according to the simplified procedure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has said.

He stated this at the All-Ukrainian Forum "Ukraine 30. International Relations" in Kyiv on Monday, July 5, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"The prestige of the Ukrainian passport is also an opportunity to travel freely around the world. In April 2019, citizens of Ukraine could enter more than 140 countries in a simplified manner. Now, this figure has reached 149," Zelenskyi said.

He stressed that "every citizen of Ukraine who is outside our country should feel support and protection."

"Our common ambitious goal, of course, is the high prestige of Ukrainian citizenship, the Ukrainian passport in the world. The prestige of the Ukrainian passport is confidence in your country, when you find yourself, God forbid, in a difficult situation abroad. Here the state apparatus must act quickly, clearly, coherently, as a single organism, regardless of whether we return home 250,000 citizens due to the global lockdown or we evacuate 100 citizens from the Gaza Strip or even one person from captivity," Zelenskyi said.

The visa-free regime between Ukraine and the European Union came into force on June 11, 2017.