Brussels, 16/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 13 June, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Russia's President Vladimir Putin proposed to continue the bilateral technical negotiations underway with Russia, and also to have consultations, that include Ukraine, at the political level to “discuss implementation aspects” of the association agreement between the EU and Ukraine so as to “dispel any concerns”. This was approved by Putin, Barroso stated in his press release. Barroso and Putin “agreed to hold consultations between Russia, the European Union and Ukraine at expert and ministerial level within the context of the association agreement to be signed by the EU and Ukraine”, the Kremlin stated in a press release.
The technical consultations were planned for the afternoon of Monday 16 June. These are the first since mid-March. The EU-Russia-Ukraine political discussions should take place “in the near future”, said European Commission spokesperson Pia Ahrenkilde-Hansen, stating that there was nevertheless no date to be made known. She stated that the EU would be represented by European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht. The spokesperson for High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton said that discussions would focus on the different angles of implementing the agreement. This EU-Ukraine association agreement is due to be signed on 27 June and the technical preparations ahead of its signature are due to be completed shortly.
During their phone conversation, Barroso also called on Russia to make progress on the Ukrainian crisis. He called for the disarmament of the separatist groups, a halt to the illegal flow of weapons and fighters in Ukraine, and the repeal of the law approved by the Duma's Federation Council. Barroso reiterated the need for de-escalation and the importance of a ceasefire. Putin underlined that Ukraine should “immediately stop” military operations in the south-east of the country.
Lastly, Barroso expressed the hope that Moscow and Kiev might make further effort to reach a sustainable agreement on the gas issue - on the basis of the option established by the European Commission. Additional discussions were held in Kiev on 14-15 June - but they did not yield a breakthrough. (CG)