On 3 February 2015, a meeting of the Informal Group “Friends of European Ukraine,” which was established on 10 December 2014, took place in the European Parliament

MEPs discussed thoroughly the working plan of the Group for 2015, in particular paying a visit to Ukraine in the near future (including eastern Oblasts) in order to make themselves aware of the situation on the ground; holding parliamentary hearings on the situation in the Crimea in view of the upcoming first anniversary of the annexation of the peninsula by Russia, as well as holding, on a regular basis, parliamentary hearings on human rights violations caused by the Russian aggression.

It was emphasized that the planned visit of Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine V. Hroysman to Brussels and the first meeting of the Ukraine-EU Parliamentary Association Committee would provide additional impetus to further strengthening the parliamentary dimension of the partnership between Ukraine and the EU.

It was also agreed to coordinate efforts between the Mission of Ukraine to the EU and the Group of Friends in providing practical assistance to Ukrainian children who suffer from the ongoing Russian aggression. “The most vulnerable category in the current situation are the Ukrainian children,” said Petras Auštrevičius, “we need to make efforts to support and broaden the existing exchange programs in order to invite the additional number of Ukrainian children to the EU countries, give them an opportunity to spend some time in European families and forget the troubles they experienced.”

Members of the Group also agreed on a number of practical steps, the implementation of which is already planned in the coming days to exert more pressure from the European Parliament on the Russian side to facilitate the release of Ukrainian pilot and People's Deputy of Ukraine Nadiya Savchenko.

Representative of Ukraine to the EU Kostiantyn Yelisieiev informed the MEPs on the situation in the Donbas and the failure of consultations of the Trilateral Contact Group, which were held in Minsk on 31 January 2015, because of the destructive position of members of illegal armed groups seeking to revise the existing agreements. Kostiantyn Yelisieiev emphasized Ukraine's commitment to a peaceful settlement of the situation in the Donbas, which should be based on the full and unconditional implementation of Minsk agreements, in the first place by the Russian side.