The European Union's foreign policy chief Javier Solana said here on Wednesday he would make a two-day visit to Kiev next month to discuss whether or not Ukraine has become a market economy, a condition for future EU membership.

"I'm going to Kiev June 9-10 to discuss a range of issues," Solana said as he made a whistle-stop here on his return from an EU-Russia summit.

Ukraine wants to join the EU and the granting of market economy status would help pave the way toward eventual membership of the 25-nation group. Another issue to be discussed is the easing of travel restrictions for Ukrainians, Solana said.

"We have yet to find solutions to these problems but are working on it," he said.

Solana described relations between the EU and Ukraine as very intense and said bilateral cooperation was moving along in a harmonious fashion.

"The speed of implementation of the programme depends on reforms Ukraine itself introduces and on its political will," said Solana.

"The cooperation programme will engender closer political and economic ties and can be applied in a flexible manner," he said.

While Solana was in Poland he received a personality of the year award from the newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza for the mediator role he played last December during Ukraine's political crisis.