Ukraine has started talks towards winning visa-free entry for its citizens to the European Union countries on Wednesday and reported it aimed to secure the status by the time it co-hosts the European football championship in 2012.

In announcing the start of the talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko in Brussels, EU Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot mentioned the aim was to develop the relevant conditions for a visa-free regime "in the long term".

Ukraine has the purpose to secure the status by 2012 when it is due to co-host the European soccer championship with Poland.

"In four years we will be ready to face all of these conditions," Ohryzko told a joint news conference with Barrot.

Barrot added the time it took Ukraine to achieve visa-free travel will depend on Kyiv meeting the conditions.

Ukraine has already exempted EU citizens from visa requirements and Barrot reported that since the start of the year, the Ukrainians were given easier access to EU visas.

"Today's meeting constitutes the next stage and opens a dialogue with the powers of Ukraine with the purpose of establishing a visa-free regime for all its citizens in the long term," he said in a statement.

Ukraine that has been promised eventual membership of the NATO military alliance, is also facing the possibility of contributing forces to EU military groups, the head of the EU military committee told a separate news conference.

General Henri Bentegeat noted Ukraine made the proposal to contribute to one or two EU battle groups to a meeting of EU military chiefs in Brussels this Wednesday.

"Of course we will welcome any Ukrainian membership," Bentegeat said. "They are listing possible assets they could operate in European battle groups; the list is a very long one."

Bentegeat added the list included engineer battalions, air mobile battalions, medical evacuation air forces and strategic airlift capabilities.

EU battle groups mostly consist of multinational forces. They each include anything from several hundred to 1500 combat soldiers and can be deployed in missions by the Council of the 27 EU member states.