MOSCOW, August 13. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and US leader Donald Trump have a significant opportunity to achieve peace in Ukraine, former Ukrainian Prime Minister (2010-2014) Nikolay Azarov said in an interview with TASS, commenting on the upcoming meeting between the two leaders in Alaska.
"The very fact that this meeting has been scheduled has already raised high expectations worldwide, including my own," Azarov said. "Both Putin and Trump have significant potential to bring about peace in Ukraine, and they wield considerable influence on the global stage."
He cautioned, however, that results would not be immediate. "I don’t think peace will be achieved overnight, but I hope the process will begin to take shape," Azarov added.
On August 8, Trump announced that he expected to meet with the Russian president in Alaska on August 15. Later, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov confirmed the plan, saying the leaders would focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis .