'Had frank talks, closer to right decision': Putin on meeting Trump; 'discussed root cause of Ukraine crisis'

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said he had discussed possible ways of ending the conflict in Ukraine "on a fair basis" during his meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Addressing senior officials in Moscow after the talks in Alaska, Putin said the discussions had been "timely" and "very useful," according to Kremlin-released footage.

"I would like to note right away that the visit was timely and very useful. We discussed practically all areas of our cooperation, but first and foremost, of course, we talked about a possible resolution of the Ukrainian crisis on a fair basis," Putin said.

"We have not had direct negotiations of this kind at this level for a long time," he said. "We had the opportunity to calmly and in detail reiterate our position."

"We naturally respect the position of the US administration, which sees the need for an immediate end to hostilities, and we would also like to see this happen. We would like to move towards resolving all issues by peaceful means," Putin said, as quoted by CNN.

"The conversation was very frank, substantive, and, in my opinion, brings us closer to the necessary decisions," the Russian president added.

Putin launched the military offensive in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, sending Russian troops across the border. The conflict has resulted in thousands of deaths, large-scale destruction in cities, and millions of people displaced from their homes.