Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump during their meeting in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018. (File photo: Xinhua/VNA)

According to Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian President, President Trump said he wants to accelerate the end of military activities to promote regional stability. President Putin reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to pursuing a negotiated settlement, but said Russia will strive to achieve the elimination of the root causes that led to the current state of affairs.

He briefed Trump on progress in implementing the humanitarian agreements reached during the second round of direct Russian-Ukrainian talks held in Istanbul, and said he’s ready to convene a third round. The two agreed that future talks should be conducted bilaterally between Russia and Ukraine.

The two leaders promised to stay in communication and expressed a willingness to conduct more phone calls as needed. While the possibility of an in-person meeting was not discussed, the two left the door open to such a meeting in the near future.