Putin hopes 'understanding' reached with Trump at talks in Alaska to pave way to peace in Ukraine

​​​​​​​By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that "an understanding" was reached at a meeting with US President Donald Trump, which he hopes will pave the way for peace in Ukraine.

Putin described discussions with Trump as "constructive and useful," noting that the situation with Ukraine was one of the central issues discussed.

"I would like to hope that the understanding that we've reached together will help us bring closer that goal and will pave the path towards peace in Ukraine," he said at a news conference following the talks with Trump in Alaska.

Putin said Russia has always considered, and still considers, the Ukrainian people “to be fraternal.”

"We have always considered the Ukrainian people, and I have said this repeatedly, to be fraternal, no matter how strange it may sound in today's conditions. We have the same roots, and everything that happens to us is a tragedy and a great pain," he said.

He expects no obstacles from Kyiv or Europe regarding progress made at the summit in Alaska in resolving the conflict.

"We hope that Kyiv and European capitals will take all this in a constructive manner and will not create any obstacles. They will not attempt to disrupt the planned progress through provocations or behind-the-scenes intrigues," he stressed.

Turning to Russia-US relations, Putin said it deteriorated to "the lowest point since the Cold War," and "it was necessary to act to fix that."

He also said he established very good direct contacts with Trump and believes that if Trump were president at the time, the conflict in Ukraine would not have started.