The Kremlin has denied reports that claimed the US President-elect Donald Trump has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin where Trump reportedly urged Putin to not escalate the war in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov casted the media reports as “pure fiction”, saying that Putin has no specific plans to speak to Trump at the present. “This is completely untrue. This is pure fiction, it’s just false information. There was no conversation,” Peskov told reporters.
“This is the most obvious example of the quality of the information that is being published now, sometimes even in fairly reputable publications.”
Dmitry Peskov
Asked if Putin had plans for any contacts with Trump, Peskov answered, “There are no concrete plans yet.”
The Washington Post first reported that Trump held the call from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Thursday, just days after his stunning election victory over Democratic rival Kamala Harris.
The Post, quoting several people familiar with the call who spoke on the basis of anonymity, reported that Trump reminded Putin of the US military’s sizeable presence in Europe. They said he also expressed an interest in further conversations to discuss “the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon.”
Trump’s team has not yet confirmed the call.
When asked by Fox News for comment about the Washington Post report, Trump’s Communication Director, Steven Cheung, released a statement saying, “We do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders.”
The Kremlin repeatedly said that Putin was ready to discuss Ukraine with the West but that it did not mean he was willing to alter Moscow’s demands.
The last Putin-Trump telephone call that was reported on the Kremlin’s website took place in July 2020, at the end of Trump’s first term in office.
Its agenda included various international issues, including strategic stability.
Communication continued in the following months as Putin issued a joint statement on Nagorno-Karabakh together with his counterparts from the US and France; additionally, he sent a message to Trump wishing him a speedy recovery from the coronavirus.
In addition, the Russian President wished a happy New Year 2021 and a merry Christmas to Trump and then-US President-elect Joe Biden.
Putin did not send any congratulatory messages to Western leaders in the past two years, the US President being no exception.
Trump’s election is set to have a major bearing on the almost three-year Ukraine conflict, as he insists on a quick end to the fighting and casts doubt on Washington’s multi-billion-dollar support for Kyiv.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Trump on Wednesday, with the Republican’s billionaire backer Elon Musk also notably joining them on the call.
The outgoing Democratic administration of President Joe Biden has confirmed that it will send as much aid as possible to Ukraine before Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025.
Peskov Acuses European Leaders Of Wanting To Inflict A Strategic Defeat On Russia
Peskov on Monday also accused European leaders of continuing to seek a “strategic defeat” of Russia.
It was in response to a question about the possibility that Britain would allow Ukraine to use Storm Shadow long-range missile systems to hit targets inside Russia. “Nothing can be ruled out,” the Kremlin Spokesman said.
“We, in turn, will continue the SMO (special military operation) until we achieve all our goals. The dynamic of the SMO is well understood by the military.
“They understand well what is happening. And it is probably important to note that no individual types of weapons are able to change this dynamic any more.”
Dmitry Peskov
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