Putin Calls Alaska Summit “Timely and Useful”

President Vladimir Putin described his meeting with Donald Trump in Alaska as both timely and productive, according to the Kremlin, Orda.kz reports.

We discussed almost every aspect of our cooperation, but above all, we focused on the possibility of resolving the Ukrainian crisis on a fair basis.  And of course, we had the opportunity, which we did, to talk about the causes of this crisis. It is the elimination of these root causes that should be the basis for the settlement,
Putin said.

He stressed that the Russian side also respects the position of the American administration.

Putin reportedly proposed freezing the front line in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, on the condition that Ukrainian forces withdraw from all of Donetsk. Additional "core demands" would also need to be met.

Trump relayed this proposal in follow-up calls with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, urging them not to push for a ceasefire before a peace agreement is reached. Sources familiar with Zelenskyy’s position said he rejects ceding any part of Donetsk to Russia.

Zelenskyy is set to meet Trump in Washington on August 18 to discuss the Anchorage summit’s outcomes.

Original Author: Oksana Matvienko