Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his American counterpart, Donald Trump, had told him during their telephone conversation that the negotiation process will take place with the participation of both Russia and Ukraine.

“As for the negotiation process, President Trump told me during the telephone conversation—and I can confirm this—that, of course, the US proceeds from the fact that the negotiation process will take place with the participation of both Russia and Ukraine. No one excludes Ukraine from this process,” Putin said, reports Interfax. “Therefore, there is no basis for such a reaction to the Russian-American meeting.”

Putin added that Russia, for its part, “will certainly inform its friends” within the BRICS framework.

“We know their interest in the normalization of Russian-Ukrainian relations, in resolving this crisis. And in the very near future we will inform them about the results of the Russian-American negotiations," the Russian leader emphasized.