Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow respects the US administration’s position on ending the conflict in Ukraine.
He expressed his desire to settle the conflict as soon as possible through mediation by the United States.
Putin described the visit as “important, timely and peaceful”, saying that all aspects were discussed in the meeting, particularly the settlement of the crisis in Ukraine. This also dismissed many reports that suggested the two leaders did not discuss the issue, especially regarding Ukraine.
Putin made it clear that he and his American counterpart discussed the issue and reflected on “the genesis, the causes of this crisis. It is precisely the elimination of these root causes that should form the basis of the settlement," he said.
"Of course, we respect the position of the US administration, which sees a need for an early cessation of hostilities. And we too would like that and want to move towards resolving all issues by peaceful means," he added.
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Meanwhile, a day after the meeting between the two concluded, a group of eight Nordic and Baltic nations on Saturday noted that the next step “must be together with Ukraine” to achieve long-lasting peace.
In a joint statement, the leaders of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) countries — Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden — reaffirmed their "steadfast" support for Ukraine.
"To achieve a just and lasting peace, the next step must be together with Ukraine. Only Ukraine can make decisions concerning its future," said the Nordic-Baltic states.
They further reinforced that “no decision regarding Ukraine without Ukraine, and no decision on Europe without Europe, shall be made.”
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