Peskov: Putin is usually alone during talks with foreign leaders

Russian President Vladimir Putin usually negotiates with foreign leaders alone, but if necessary he invites his aides. This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on February 16.

The presidential spokesman specified that the Russian leader can turn to aides whose competence he considers useful at the moment.

"Usually, when the president has phone conversations, he has no one keeping him company at that moment. This is usually the case," Peskov said in response to Zarubin's question about the tone of the dialog in a fragment of the video published in the journalist's Telegram channel.

More often than not, employees of the Russian president's administration read the recording of phone conversations after the conversation has ended, he added.

Equation of power: Putin-Trump dialog forces the West to change positions on Ukraine

Even NATO gave a positive assessment of the leaders' contacts

Putin held a phone conversation with U.S. leader Donald Trump on February 12. According to Peskov, the two leaders discussed many topics, including the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.

Trump on February 13 announced a meeting of representatives of Russia, the United States and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia next week. The Bloomberg agency quoted sources as saying on February 15 that senior representatives of Moscow and Washington might meet in the Arab kingdom in late February to prepare a summit of the two presidents to discuss the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.