Ukraine will put a national system of biometric verification and identification in place between 2014-2017, a cabinet resolution released on 17 September revealed.

The Kiev government approved the measure among others in a 488-point “Association Agreement” with the European Union (EU) which was ratified last week.

A lack of biometric documents are seen as a major obstacle for Ukrainians travelling visa-free to the EU – something which Ukrainian officials were hoping would happen as soon as 1 January, 2015.

Oleksandr Sushko, an analyst for the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation, a Kyiv-based think tank, told the Kyiv Post: “it may take up to five years to issue biometric passports”.

It was the EU Association Agreement which originally ignited the conflict with Russia last November, with then president Viktor Yanukovych accused of pandering to Moscow over his decision to withdraw from the pact.

In March, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk had said Ukrainians would start receiving biometric passports in 2014.

“We plan for this year to start issuing biometric passports. And we hope that our European partners after the final administration of these solutions will accelerate a visa-free regime between Ukraine and the EU”, he said.