Brussels, June 14 (IANS): European Commission (EC) President Jose Manuel Barroso spoke on phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the current situation in Ukraine, the European Union (EU) said in a statement.
According to the statement, the two leaders Friday discussed the upcoming Association Agreement scheduled for June 27 and also the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area between Ukraine and the EU, Xinhua reported.
Barroso expressed the possibility to pursue bilateral talks with Russia at technical level as well as on a political level which includes the Ukraine situation, the statement said.
They also assessed the ongoing gas talks mediated by the EC.
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 EC and Russia failed to reach a deal this week after two rounds of talks.