Putin announces 'agreement reached,' 'start of progress' in resolving war in Ukraine

Vladimir Putin said after meeting with US President Donald Trump that the "agreement reached" would contribute to "achieving peace in Ukraine."

"President Trump is personally trying to help resolve the Ukrainian conflict. The situation in Ukraine is associated with threats to our security, but we have always considered Ukraine a brotherly people. At the same time, we are convinced that in order to settle this for the long term, we must eliminate all the root causes of the conflict. I very much hope that the agreement we have reached will contribute to achieving peace in Ukraine," he said during a joint press conference following the meeting.

At the same time, he said that he hopes that Ukraine and Europe will not try to "disrupt the progress that has been made".

"We hope that the understandings we have reached will allow us to get closer to this goal and open the way to peace in Ukraine. We expect that Kyiv and European capitals will perceive all this in a constructive manner and will not create any obstacles, will not make attempts to disrupt the planned progress through provocations and behind-the-scenes intrigues," Putin said.