Russian President Vladimir Putin told his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump in a phone call on Thursday that Moscow would not give up on its goals in Ukraine but was still interested in a negotiated solution to the conflict, a Kremlin adviser said.
In a wide-ranging conversation, Trump raised the issue of a quick end to the war, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
Putin said Russia was ready to continue negotiations but that Moscow was still focused on eliminating what he called the “root causes” of the conflict, which has now been going on for four years.
Putin also stressed in the phone call that the Iranian and other conflicts in the Middle East should be resolved diplomatically.
“The Russian side stressed the importance of resolving all contentious issues, disagreements and conflict situations exclusively through political and diplomatic means,” Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters after the phone call.
