Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised the meeting with his US counterpart Donald Trump in Alaska. He said that the summit “brings us closer to the necessary decisions” regarding Ukraine, Russian media reported.
In particular, Putin called the summit “timely and very useful,” especially on discussing a solution to the so-called “Ukrainian crisis” (as Russia calls the war against Ukraine – ed).
“First of all, of course, we talked about a possible solution to the Ukrainian crisis on a fair basis. And of course, we had the opportunity, which we did, to talk about the genesis, the causes of this crisis. It is the elimination of these causes that should be the basis for a settlement,” the Russian president said.
Putin also complained that the US and Russia had not negotiated at this level for a long time and confirmed that Russia had used the opportunity to present its “position” to the US.
He also said that the Kremlin, he said, “respects” the position of the US administration, which “sees the need for an early cessation of hostilities.”
“Well, we would also like that and would like to move to the solution of all issues by peaceful means. The conversation was very frank, informative and, in my opinion, it brings us closer to the necessary solutions,” Putin added.
After the talks, Donald Trump said on social network Truth that a trilateral meeting could be agreed upon during Vladimir Zelensky’s visit to Washington on 18 August.
The Ukrainian side has previously repeatedly stated its readiness for meetings in various formats to achieve lasting peace.
On the night of 16 August (Kiev time), talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin took place in Anchorage, Alaska. They lasted almost three hours. At the joint press conference, Trump and Putin did not announce agreements to end Russia’s war against Ukraine. Trump spoke about agreements on important points, but did not give details.
Earlier, Zelensky said that Ukraine is not going to “give its land to anyone” and the AFU will not leave Donbass itself. Kiev insists on firm security guarantees in case of any agreements with Russia.
The leaders of France, Italy, Germany, Poland, the UK, Finland and the European Commission earlier noted that “the road to peace in Ukraine cannot be paved without Ukraine’s participation”.