The deal, which follows Ukrainian protests over new visa restrictions following Poland's entry into the European Union's Schengen zone, will allow people living within 50 km of the border to travel the same distance on the other side without having to go through the full visa application process.
The agreement was signed in Kiev by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Ukrainian premier Yulia Tymoshenko. According to Polish paper Gazeta Wyborcza, Tusk's visit to Ukraine is aimed at improving his image among Ukraine's leadership, to make up for not attending the EU-Ukraine summit last month.
Poland joined the Schengen zone, which allows passport-free travel among its 24 countries, on January 1. Soon afterwards, residents of the Lvov Region in western Ukraine held several protests against the newly tightened rules for entry into Poland, with locals blocking Polish cars from passing border checkpoints.
The new agreement does not permit Ukrainian border residents to pass beyond the 50 km boundary into the rest of Poland without obtaining a standard visa.
A day before the signing of the agreement, the European Commission said it had "minor reservations" over the deal, saying the EU had wanted a smaller zone of 30 km on the Polish side of the border. Poland could face sanctions if it fails to amend the deal.
Tymoshenko and Tusk also signed an agreement to coordinate arrangements for the UEFA Euro 2012 soccer championship to be hosted by both countries, and accords on Ukraine's integration into Europe.
UEFA President Michel Platini urged Ukraine and Poland on Thursday to speed up arrangements for Euro 2012 after a critical report was released on the countries' preparations.
Tymoshenko said: "I think the signing of the document and a number of measures being taken by our governments will change Platini's opinion of arrangements for Euro 2012."
The Ukrainian premier, a staunch proponent of eventual EU and NATO membership for Ukraine, told Polish newspaper Dziennik on Thursday that Kiev views Warsaw as "a guide which is leading us directly to the EU." She told another paper, Rzeczpospolita, that "without Poland, Ukraine would be lonely on its way to the NATO membership."
In January, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko formally requested that the country be admitted to the NATO Membership Action Plan, the first step to full membership of the 26-nation military alliance. Ukraine's application could be considered at the upcoming NATO summit in Bucharest in early April.
The Ukrainian population remains split over the issue, with more than 50% opposing the government's drive for membership in the Western military alliance.
Tusk told reporters after his meeting with the Ukrainian premier, "Poland has always supported and will continue supporting Ukraine's ambitions to join the [NATO] Membership Action Plan."
