Russian President Vladimir Putin said he and U.S. President Donald Trump devoted their recent meeting in Alaska to finding ways to end the war in Ukraine "on a fair basis," calling the exchange frank and substantive as he briefed officials in Moscow on 16 August. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov later told reporters that the two leaders backed the continuation of direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations and explored raising the level of representatives involved in the negotiations. Ushakov added that Moscow and Washington agreed to maintain close contact on the conflict and other urgent matters. Accounts of the discussions differ. According to U.S. media cited by Trump, the former president wants to arrange a face-to-face meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy before the end of August. The Kremlin said only that the idea was mentioned and that further steps would depend on Kyiv’s position.