Barroso, Putin discuss Ukraine situation over phone

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Friday spoke on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the current situation in Ukraine, the European Union (EU) said.
They discussed the upcoming signature on June 27 of the Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area between Ukraine and the EU, according to an EU statement.
In light of the signature of the agreement, Barroso expressed the possibility to pursue the ongoing bilateral talks with Russia at technical level as well as to hold political level consultations, associating Ukraine, with the aim to discuss implementation aspects, the statement said.
They also assessed the ongoing gas talks mediated by the European Commission. Barroso expressed the hope that both sides can make additional efforts to reach a lasting agreement on the basis of the options established by the European Commission.
The trilateral gas talks between Ukraine, the European Commission and Russia failed to reach a deal this week after two rounds of talks.