Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Donald Trump on August 19 held a telephonic conversation reaffirming their commitment to continuing direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv delegations. Confirming the development, Russian President’s aide Yuri Ushakov said the conversation took place at the US President’s initiative.
According to Ushakov, during the discussions, Trump briefed Putin about the dialogue he had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and leaders of several European countries in Washington. During the call, Putin also expressed gratitude to Trump for the hospitality and arrangements at the Alaska Summit, as well as for the progress they were able to achieve towards bringing about a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict.
The Russian Presidential aide said that, among other things, both Trump and Putin discussed the prospect of exploring opportunities for drawing higher-ranking officials from both Ukraine and Russia into the direct talks.
“It is quite telling that Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump agreed to keep in touch with one another on the Ukrainian issue and other urgent international and bilateral matters. The President of Russia highlighted the importance of Donald Trump’s personal efforts and commitment to finding solutions for a lasting settlement in Ukraine. The conversation was quite frank and constructive,” Ushakov stated.
