Hillary Clinton arrives in Ukraine

The European Union set conditions Monday for Ukraine to win visa-free travel rights for its citizens while urging Kiev to make progress on human rights.The two sides agreed on an "action plan" at a Brussels summit between Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso and EU president Herman Van Rompuy.The roadmap urges Kiev to make major improvements in border control, migration and asylum policies, and the protection of travel documents to prevent forgeries.

AFP - The team of Ukraine's new President Viktor Yanukovych pledg

The EU rolled out the red carpet Monday for new Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych, on his first foreign trip, hoping to hear that his pro-Russian past won't reverse Kiev's recent turn to the West.Yanukovych, who won disputed elections last month, arrived in Brussels Monday for talks with EU president Herman Van Rompuy, EU Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso and Polish EU parliament president Jerzy Buzek.Part of Europe's great interest is due to Ukraine's role as a key transit for Russian natural gas, a major source of energy in many EU nations.

New Ukraine president Viktor Yanukovych visits Brussels Monday, his first foreign trip, with European leaders hoping to hear that his pro-Russian reputation won't reverse Kiev's recent turn to the West.The importance which the EU places on Ukraine was amply displayed last week when EU foreign and security affairs chief Catherine Ashton missed an EU defence ministers' meeting in order to attend Yanukovych's investiture in Kiev.

Barring a major upset, President Yushchenko looks likely to finish fourth or fifth in Ukraine's presidential elections, while his archrival Viktor Yanukovych will likely win.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton travels to eastern Europe and the troubled Caucasus region Thursday on a mission to allay the concerns of regional allies over newly invigorated US-Russian ties.A top item on Clinton's agenda will be to explain warmer relations between Washington and Moscow to countries in the region which once chafed under Soviet control.US-Russian ties were strengthened last week during President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to the United States.