EU says Russia/Ukraine gas deal 'very close'

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who spoke a number of times to Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko, earlier said in a statement that an agreement was within reach.

"There should not be any read-in to anything, about Ukraine being any obstacle to reaching agreement. We are working with the two sides to get agreement and indeed both sides are showing that an agreement is within reach," a Commission spokeswoman told a news conference.

"Now we need to go the last mile and get to the agreement," she said. "Frankly we are very close to an agreement, an agreement is within reach."

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by Philip Blenkinsop)