The European Union is preparing for potential talks with Vladimir Putin — FT

The European Union is preparing for potential talks with Vladimir Putin. This was reported by the Financial Times newspaper with reference to the head of the European Council, Antonio Costa.

The European Union has the "potential" for negotiations with Putin, Costa believes.

"I am negotiating with the leaders of the 27 [EU] member states to determine the best way to organize our work and to outline what exactly we need to discuss with Russia when the right moment comes," Costa said, quoted by TASS.

Costa stressed that the EU does not seek to impede contacts between the United States and Russia, however, has not yet seen signs of Moscow's readiness for a direct dialogue with Brussels.

The European Union is concerned that trilateral negotiations between the United States, Russia and Ukraine may be delayed, and European countries will be out of the discussion of possible conditions for resolving the conflict, the newspaper notes.

The Office of the President of Ukraine confirmed that they are discussing this topic with Costa, stressing the importance of a coordinated position of European states in any potential contacts.

As reported by EADaily, all parties to the trilateral settlement negotiations on Ukraine now understands that Kiev needs to take only one serious step towards a settlement. This was reported to journalists by Presidential Aide for International Affairs Yuri Ushakov.