Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that his meeting with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner at the Kremlin was necessary and useful. He made this statement in an interview with India Today television, excerpts of which were published by this channel itself and quoted by Russian state news agencies.

According to Putin, his meeting with this American delegation lasted five hours because the two parties needed to discuss each point of the proposals to stop the war between Russia and Ukraine.

He noted that there are points in this American proposals with which Russia does not agree. “In some places they said, ‘Yes, we can discuss this, but we cannot agree to it,’” Putin said, as reported by TASS.

“Achieving a situation where the conflicting sides come to some kind of consensus is not easy,” the Russian leader said, according to RIA Novosti.

And when India Today’s journalists asked him whether Russia wants to return to the Group of Eight (G8), Putin replied, “No.”

The Russian president said that “it once happened” that he practically stopped participating in G8 meetings. “I really don’t understand why the countries that make up the G7 call themselves ‘the G7.’ What is so special about it?” Putin said, but added that it “remains an important platform; they work, discuss issues, and make decisions.”