Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that he was informed about the results of the Russian-American talks in Saudi Arabia and assesses them positively, BTA reports.
“Yes, I am informed. I appreciate them highly, there are results“, he said, quoted by Interfax. Putin stressed that Ukraine will not be excluded from potential peace talks.
He described the atmosphere of the meeting in Riyadh as “benevolent“ and noted the openness of the American delegation. According to him, without strengthening trust between Russia and the United States, it is impossible to resolve key issues, including the conflict in Ukraine.
The lack of an invitation to Ukraine and European governments has raised concerns that Moscow and Washington may reach an agreement, ignoring the interests of Kiev and its European allies. Putin, however, dismissed these concerns, saying that it was Ukraine and Western countries that had refused dialogue with Moscow.
“We are not imposing anything on anyone. We are ready for negotiations – I have said it many times. If they want, let them take place, we will be ready to return to the negotiating table“, he stressed.
Putin added that he would be happy to meet with former US President Donald Trump, but stressed that such a meeting must be prepared by expert teams in order to lead to real results.