BRATISLAVA, June 17 – Ukraine expects the EU to cancel visas for Ukrainian citizens before the start of the Euro 2012 European Football Championship, President Viktor Yanukovych said.

"I hope that we will complete [an EU-Ukraine action plan on visa liberalization] before the start of the Euro 2012 tournament that will be held next June. And I hope that this decision [on granting the visa-free regime to Ukraine] will be taken by the European Commission and the EU countries that will give a positive signal and give the European Commission a mandate to sign the [association] agreement with Ukraine," he said at a joint press conference with Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic in Bratislava on Friday.