Putin sees chance for diplomatic settlement in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he sees a chance for a diplomatic settlement to end the war in Ukraine.

Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok, Putin said the main parties to the conflict, Russia and Ukraine, should reach a consensus before other countries contribute to the process.

“We are grateful to everyone who is trying to contribute to resolving this issue. Are there chances? In my view, yes, there are,” he said.

“As a matter of fact, ultimately and above all, this problem should be resolved by the countries involved in the conflict. These are Russia and Ukraine. This is the right approach,” he added.

Asked about US mediation in the Ukrainian issues, the Russian president said contacts between Moscow and Washington were continuing, including through intelligence channels.

“We are in contact with the US administration, and we are still in contact now. And I hope these contacts will continue, and ultimately, they will lead to a positive result,” he said.

Turning to Russia-US relations, Putin said their restoration depended on both sides, adding that he believed President Donald Trump was positively disposed toward constructive work.

“As far as I understand, feel and see, President Trump is tuned for such a positive work,” he said.

Putin noted that Russia has a lot of friends in the US, and one of them was US actor and director Steven Seagal, who was present in the hall.

Putin called him a “friend of Russia” and “the best envoy of peace.”

“We have many friends in the US. One of them is in this hall -- Mr. Steven Seagal,” Putin said, prompting applause from the audience.

Attacks on civilian vessels

Putin also criticized attacks and threats involving civilian vessels and aircraft, saying such actions complicated the prospects for bilateral peace talks.

He described the seizure of civilian vessels, strikes on commercial ships and threats against civilian aircraft as “state terrorism.”

“Have you noticed the seizures of civilian vessels, the strikes on civilian merchant ships, and, moreover, we have now heard about threats to attack civilian aircraft. This is, of course, a manifestation of state terrorism. And this certainly complicates the possibility of conducting bilateral peace negotiations,” he said.

Putin further said Western allies of Ukraine who did not respond to such actions were becoming “accomplices in international terrorism.”

He also said Moscow is quickly developing air defense systems, noting that all attacks on oil refineries in Russia two days ago were repulsed.

The Russian president once again dismissed reports about mobilization in Russia, saying they were being spread to disrupt the State Duma election.

“There is no scenario today that would require mobilization,” he said.

Putin also said that Russian businessmen recently made hundreds of billions of rubles in voluntary donations to the Russian budget, which was "an absolute surprise" for him.