REUTERS Ukraine has said visa-free access to the EU must go ahead

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The war-torn country said there could be no compromise on a controversial EU deal allowing its 40 million citizens unfettered access to the Schengen zone, even though it was rejected by Dutch voters in a referendum. And Ukrainian commentators even criticised Brussels for trying to belatedly apply some safety measures to the pact, accusing eurocrats of “undermining” people’s trust in the EU as an ally.

The awkward stand-off comes as the euro elite prepares to welcome Mr Poroshenko at a conference in the Belgian capital today which will be dominated by the future of European sanctions against Russia. The EU has stopped exports of fruit and vegetables to Russia which is crippling the economies of eastern Europe.

REUTERS Kiev president Petro Poroshenko is in Brussels to discuss trade with eurocrats

AFP Ukraine has been gripped by a three-year civil war

A number of countries including Italy, France and Germany, as well as eastern European member states, have made noises they would like to see the punitive measures scaled back or even dropped completely. Brexit and the election of Donald Trump is threatening the future of the sanctions, plut in place in protest of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Crimea. Mr Poroshenko is expected to seek promises that EU member states will maintain and even expand the sanctions regime against the Kremlin, whilst at the same time dropping more and more tariffs in Ukrainian goods. And he is likely to bring up the delay in implementing the visa-free access scheme, which has been temporarily shelved until safeguards allowing countries to suspend it in the event of mass overstays can be drawn up.

The measure is being brought in partly to assuage the Dutch government, which is facing huge pressure to veto the entire deal after it was rejected by voters in a referendum back in March. But rejecting the outcome of the vote, Nazar Bobitski, head of trade at Ukraine’s mission, said: “We have been in very close, high-level consultation with the Dutch government. “But our two red lines are clear. The Netherlands must ratify the agreement, and it cannot be amended.” Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte believes the compromise will enable him to get the pact through the country’s parliament without provoking a constitutional crisis.

What countries are in the EU? Wed, September 14, 2016 In the wake of Brexit, we look at the 28 member states that are in the European Union. Play slideshow Getty 1 of 29 Countries that are in the European Union