Trump urges Putin to avoid escalation in Ukraine

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, advising him against escalating the war in Ukraine, according to a report by The Washington Post.

Meanwhile, Trump reminded Putin of Washington’s “sizeable military presence in Europe,” as per sources familiar with the conversation.

During his election campaign, Trump promised to resolve the war “within a day,” but has not provided details on how he plans to achieve this.

On Friday, the Kremlin confirmed that Putin is open to discussing the Ukraine conflict with Trump but emphasized that Moscow is not willing to compromise on its demands.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Russian state media published Sunday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov noted “positive signals” from Trump’s stance on Ukraine.

Peskov referenced Trump’s campaign rhetoric, which suggested a deal-making approach that could potentially lead to peace. However, he added a note of caution, saying it remains unclear whether Trump will maintain the positions he voiced during the campaign once in office.

Kremlin denies Putin and Trump spoke on phone

The Kremlin on Monday denied a US media report that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US president-elect Donald Trump had spoken on the phone last week about the Ukraine conflict.

The Washington Post reported Sunday that Trump talked by phone on Thursday with Putin, telling him not to inflame the conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that the report was “completely false information”, denying any phone call took place.