The new EU ambassador Katarina Maternova has started work in Ukraine

The newly appointed ambassador of the European Union Katarina Maternova has started work in Ukraine.

This was reported by the EU representative office.

Maternova handed copies of her credentials to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yevhen Perebyinis a few hours after arriving in Kyiv.

"Katarina Maternova and the team of the EU representative office will work on deepening the strong partnership between the European Union and Ukraine at a crucial time," the representative office noted.

The press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that at the meeting with Maternova, the deputy minister expressed gratitude to the EU for economic and military assistance, as well as for political support and sanctions pressure on Russia.

Yevhen Perebiynis and Katarina Maternova exchanged views on Ukraineʼs implementation of the seven recommendations of the European Commission. At the same time, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed hope for a decision on the start of pre-accession negotiations on the accession of our country to the EU by the end of 2023," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.

• Maternova, a native of Slovakia, succeeded EU Ambassador Matti Maasikas. Before being appointed to the position of ambassador, she was the deputy director general of the European Commissionʼs Directorate for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations — she was involved in the development of EU neighborhood policy and enlargement, and also maintained close contacts with the Ukrainian authorities.