Negotiations with Putin inevitable at some stage of Ukraine peace process — EU spokesperson

European Commission chief spokesperson Paula Pinho stated this during a briefing with journalists in Brussels on January 12, European Pravda reports.

Negotiations with Putin are inevitable, but at present he has no intention of taking part in them, according to the European Commission.

"We are working very, very hard for peace in Ukraine. Right now, peace in Ukraine depends on one single person – as you know very well, that's President Putin. So obviously, at some point, negotiations will have to be held with President Putin as well," Pinho stated.

She emphasized that in the meantime, "a lot of work is being done" in this direction.

"Unfortunately, we don't see any signs that President Putin intends to participate in such negotiations. So we're not there yet. But at some point we really hope that some such negotiations will take place that will ultimately lead to peace in Ukraine," the European Commission's chief spokesperson stressed.

Paula Pinho added that the EU is also concerned because "this is also about our security, since Ukraine is, and we consider it, part of our Europe."