Kremlin says Putin, Trump held 8th phone call

MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump held their eighth phone conversation on Thursday, said Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov.

Ushakov described the Russia-initiated call, which lasted nearly 2.5 hours, as "extremely candid".

The Ukraine crisis was a key focus of the call, he said, noting that Putin provided a detailed assessment of the current situation, emphasizing Russia's commitment to resolving the Ukraine issue through political and diplomatic means.

According to Ushakov, one of Trump's key points during the conversation was that ending the conflict in Ukraine would unlock enormous prospects for economic cooperation between Russia and the United States.

Ushakov said that Trump proposed Budapest, Hungary, as a venue for a future Russia-US summit.

"It was agreed that representatives from both countries will immediately begin work on preparing for the summit," Ushakov added.

He also said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will hold a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the coming days.