New Delhi, May 20 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that the two-hour-long call with US President Donald Trump was "very frank" and "useful" and emphasised the need to identify the most effective pathways to "peace" amid the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

Putin also expressed optimism about the resumption of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine and called it a step in the right direction toward eliminating the root causes of the conflict.

Putin noted that two countries holding direct talks gives reason to believe that they are on the right track.

"I would like to note that, on the whole, Russia's position is clear. The main thing for us is to eliminate the root causes of this crisis. We just need to determine the most...