Following his return from the United States, the President held a meeting on the outcomes of the Russia-US talks. The President briefed senior officials of the Presidential Executive Office, the Government, the State Duma, ministries and agencies on the outcomes of the meeting in Anchorage. Let’s see what he had to say to his men.

President Putin: I asked you to attend this meeting to inform you about the outcomes of our delegation’s visit to Alaska, the United States.

I would like to begin by noting that the visit was timely and quite useful. We discussed our interactions in virtually all their aspects with a focus, of course, on achieving a fair resolution of the Ukraine crisis. We certainly had an opportunity to discuss the origins and causes of this crisis, which we did. It is the removal of these root causes that must underlie the settlement.

We did not have direct talks at this level for a long time. Let me reiterate: we were able to present our position in a calm and detailed manner. We definitely respect the US administration’s position which wants the hostilities to stop as soon as possible. So do we, and we would like to move forward with settling all issues by peaceful means.

The conversation was very frank and substantive which, in my view, moves us closer to making necessary decisions.