ASTANA, July 3. /TASS/. The lack of perspectives to settle the Ukrainian conflict without Russia’s participation was noted during the negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Astana, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"In regards to Ukraine, by the way, the lack of perspectives of any formats without Russia’s participation was stated clearly," Peskov said, speaking about the substance of the negotiations.

Meanwhile, the spokesman underscored that Ukraine was hardly in the spotlight of the meeting. According to Peskov, Putin and Xi Jinping had a "substantial discussion of bilateral relations, all areas of them, and exchanged opinions on regional issues."

"They outlined plans for cooperation in various areas at the working group level," the spokesman noted.

The leaders of Russia and China met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana. The meeting lasted for slightly less than one hour.