ISTANBUL

Moscow said on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump and his administration have taken a “deeper” approach to resolving the ongoing Ukraine war following last week's summit between Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

“President Trump and his team, especially after the meeting in Alaska, have taken a much deeper approach to resolving this crisis, understanding that it is necessary to eliminate the root causes, which we, President Putin, have constantly talked about,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told state TV channel Rossiya-24.

Lavrov also said there was a “good atmosphere” during the Alaska talks, as reflected in the two presidents’ statements after the summit, state news agency RIA and Russian media outlets reported.

Saying that the issue of lifting sanctions on Moscow were not discussed, Lavrov added that Russia does not reject any formats of discussion on a settlement in Ukraine, including bilateral or trilateral ones.

"Any contacts involving top officials must be prepared with the utmost care," he said.

‘US stance differs from Europe’s’

He called the talks a “useful conversation,” arguing that it was “clear” that Trump and his team “sincerely want to achieve a result that will be long-term, sustainable, and reliable.”

Lavrov noted that the US stance is contrary to that of European countries, which “were saying on every corner that only a ceasefire was needed and after that they would continue to supply weapons to Ukraine.”

He also said Trump and Putin understand that the conflict "has a reason," also calling remarks by some European leaders "about Russia attacking Ukraine without provocation" "childish babble."

The Russian foreign minister also argued that territorial changes are "often an integral part of reaching agreements," accusing Europe of having an "arrogant attitude" on reaching a resolution in Ukraine.

"Without respect for Russia's interests and the rights of Russians, there can be no talk of any agreements," he added.

On Friday, Trump and Putin held a three-hour closed-door meeting in the US state of Alaska, with the Russian president saying later that they reached an "understanding.”

The US president, for his part, hailed the talks as making “great progress.”