The alleged phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin reported by the Washington Post, but which was denied by the Kremlin, has become a mystery. According to the newspaper, during the conference call, which took place the day after the US elections, Trump urged the Russian leader not to escalate the war in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the article was “simply false,” denying there had been a phone call.
The Post, citing several people familiar with the call, reported that Trump reminded Putin of the considerable U.S. military presence in Europe and said he was open to further talks to discuss “a near-term resolution of the war in Ukraine.” Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, would neither confirm nor deny the call, telling AFP that he “does not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to Trump on Wednesday during a phone call attended by billionaire Elon Musk. Trump also spoke by phone with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday, and the two “agreed to work together towards a return to peace in Europe.”
President Joe Biden’s outgoing Democratic administration has confirmed it will send as much aid as possible to Ukraine before Trump takes office on Jan. 20, and national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the White House intends to “put Ukraine in the strongest position possible on the battlefield so that you can sit at the negotiating table in the strongest possible position.” This would include using the remaining $6 billion in funding available to Ukraine, Sullivan said. Any early agreement on the war would require Kiev to cede some Russian-occupied territory, and Kiev, although facing a shortage of soldiers and uncertainty over U.S. support, has firmly opposed this. According to Zelensky, giving up territory or meeting other Kremlin demands would only encourage Putin to further aggression, a view shared by many European allies.
Source: IL Tempo
John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.
