The European Union has agreed to open negotiations with Russia that could lead to the lifting of EU visa requirements for Russian citizens.

At a summit in Brussels today , December 15, Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's president, and the EU's top officials agreed that talks should begin on “common steps” to be undertaken by both sides toward a visa-free regime.

“This will further open up Russia to the EU and the EU to Russia,” said Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council.

José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, said that “our common goal is to have a visa-free regime between the European Union and Russia” but warned that the lifting of EU visa requirements was still years away.

The summit also touched on Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva tomorrow, December 16. Van Rompuy described it as a “major achievement” that would boost Russia's modernization, European Voice reported.