On Monday, the Kremlin dismissed claims that President Vladimir Putin had a conversation with President-elect Donald Trump regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. A spokesperson for Trump opted to remain silent about what he described as “private calls” with global leaders.
The Washington Post initially reported on Sunday, referencing unnamed sources, that Trump and Putin had a discussion on Thursday. During this call, Trump is said to have advised Putin against escalating the situation in Ukraine while noting the significant U.S. military force stationed in Europe.
In a conference call with reporters, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov firmly stated, “there was no conversation” and labeled the information as “completely untrue, it is pure fiction.” When prompted about the allegations, Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, remarked, “We do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders.”
At a foreign policy event in Sochi, Russia, on Thursday, Putin extended his congratulations to Trump on winning the election and praised him for what he described as “brave” conduct during an assassination attempt in July.
Peskov further indicated that “there are no specific plans yet” for a dialogue between the two leaders. He acknowledged that interactions prior to Trump’s inauguration “are not ruled out,” referencing Trump’s statement about intending to call Putin before officially taking office. However, he strongly denied that there had been any communication between Russia’s presidential administration or Foreign Ministry and Trump’s campaign following the election.
Throughout his campaign, Trump frequently asserted that he could swiftly resolve the conflict in Ukraine, although he did not provide concrete strategies for achieving this outcome.
As the war nears the grim milestone of 1,000 days, Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets. In response, over the weekend, Ukraine launched an extensive wave of drone assaults that alarmed residents of Moscow and its surrounding areas.