Vladimir Putin Bladimir Putin said he was satisfied with the results of the Moscow-Washington bilateral talks held in Riyadh and stressed that Ukraine will not be excluded from the negotiations to end the war.

“Yes, I have been informed. I assess them very positively, there are results,” Putin said of the talks. The Russian president stressed that it is necessary to strengthen “trust” with the US to end the Russian aggression in Ukraine.

“Without strengthening the level of trust between Russia and the United States, it is impossible to solve many problems, including the Ukrainian crisis,” Putin said in a speech broadcast live on Russian state television.

“The goal of this meeting (in Riyadh) was precisely to increase trust between Russia and the United States,” he added.

Ukraine and European governments were not invited to the Riyadh talks, heightening concerns that Moscow and Washington may strike a deal on Ukraine that ignores their vital interests.

“We are not imposing anything on anyone”