Ukraine Leader Sees Country Applying For EU Membership 'In Six Years time'

Kiev: Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko said he would present a broad plan of social and economic reforms later on Thursday which would allow the former Soviet republic to apply for membership of the European Union in six years.

Ukraine's parliament ratified a landmark association agreement with the EU on Sept. 16, though implementation of the trade part of the agreement has been delayed until January 2016 to appease Russia, which says the pact will hurt its markets.

Poroshenko, speaking to the country's judiciary, also said that for the first time in many months no deaths or wounded had been reported in the past 24 hours in the conflict with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, indicating that a ceasefire "has finally begun working".