US President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine, urging him not to escalate the conflict, according to sources familiar with the conversation, as reported by The Washington Post. Trump also reminded Putin of the substantial US military presence in Europe.
This call came a day after Trump had a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, as confirmed by multiple news outlets.
While Trump had previously claimed during his presidential campaign that he could end the war “within a day,” he did not provide any specific proposals or solutions during this recent discussion with Putin.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry denied reports that it had been informed in advance of Trump’s call with Putin. “Reports suggesting that Ukraine knew about the call beforehand are false,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi in a statement to Reuters. “As such, Ukraine could neither endorse nor oppose the call.”
In the US, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that President Joe Biden is focused on ensuring a smooth transition of power while continuing to advocate for Ukraine. “President Biden will have the opportunity in the next 70 days to make the case to Congress and the incoming administration that the United States must remain committed to Ukraine,” Sullivan said. “Abandoning Ukraine would lead to greater instability in Europe.”
The Kremlin confirmed that Putin was open to discussing Ukraine with Trump but emphasized that it did not signal a shift in Moscow’s demands. Putin’s conditions for ending the war, laid out in June, include Ukraine renouncing its NATO aspirations and withdrawing its forces from four territories Russia claims as its own.
However, Ukraine has rejected these terms, calling them unacceptable. President Zelenskyy has proposed a “victory plan” that calls for increased military support from Ukraine’s Western allies.
