VALAAM /Karelia Region/, August 1. /TASS/. Russia’s main goal is to eradicate the causes of the Ukraine crisis and ensure national security, President Vladimir Putin told reporters.

"We set them [goals] out at a meeting with the leadership of the Russian Foreign Ministry last June. Everything is perfectly clear," he noted.

According to him, Russia’s top priority is to eliminate the causes of the crisis. "However, humanitarian issues are also important, as well as broader security issues regarding the security of Russia, and Ukraine, too," Putin added.