Russia has no objections to preserving Ukrainian statehood, but Ukraine should not be used as a military base against the Russian Federation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

Russia, as an opponent of the Kyiv regime, would be interested in Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy retaining his power, but this disintegration of statehood is not in Ukraine's interests, added Putin.

"The Russian Federation is not against the EU's participation in the Ukrainian settlement, but considers the position of the BRICS and other countries important. The EU's participation in the negotiations on Ukraine may be required, but Europe cannot make demands," the Russian president noted.

According to Putin, Russia wants to achieve peace as quickly as possible, but Zelenskyy stands in the way of that goal.

"We need to bring to power in Ukraine people who will enjoy the trust of the people so that it can eventually become a friendly neighboring state," Putin said.

A substantive solution to the conflict has not yet been discussed with US President Donald Trump, he added.

Putin stressed that the upcoming and possible further contacts between Russia and the US will be mainly devoted to bilateral relations.

Also, the Russian president considers the prospect of reducing defense spending by 50 percent for both the US and Russia to be an excellent idea, Russian news agencies TASS and RIA Novosti report.