UST-BYUR VILLAGE /Khakassia/, June 26. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his deepest condolences over the death of ex-Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
"The president was told about the sad news of the death of Yevgeny Maximovich Primakov," Peskov said.
"The president expressed his deep regrets to the family of Yevgeny Maximovich and all those who knew him, his close associates" the Kremlin spokesman said.
The Russian president said on many occasions that "Yevgeny Maximovich was a statesman, a scientist and a politician and left a huge heritage after him," the Kremlin spokesman said.
Last time Putin met with Primakov was about a month ago, Peskov said.
"Yevgeny Maximovich sent the president his new book and he [the president] visited him on this occasion," the Kremlin spokesman said.
The presidential spokesman said he didn’t rule out that during the last meeting Putin and Primakov discussed international problems because "the president always wanted to know Primakov’s profound viewpoints on world processes, especially in such an uneasy situation.".