US President-elect Trump’s Phone Call with Putin Denied by Kremlin
Reports that Donald Trump, the US president-elect, had a phone call with Vladimir Putin are being denied by the Kremlin. The Washington Post said on Sunday that the call took place last Thursday.
According to reports, Trump warned Putin against escalating war in Ukraine and mentioned America’s military presence throughout Europe. But a Kremlin spokeswoman called the reports “pure nonsense”.
Trump’s staff wouldn’t comment on the president-elect’s private phone calls. Steven Cheung, Trump’s director of communications, said that leaders were already contacting President-elect Trump.
The Kremlin also denied the call. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, said it was a “pure fabrication” and there was no conversation.
Trump has promised to end the three-year war in Ukraine, but hasn’t outlined how he plans to do so. Some people believe that the US will continue to support Ukraine.
John Healey said that the US would remain alongside allies like the UK and stand by Ukraine until it defeats Putin’s invasion. The EU’s chief of foreign policy, Josep Borrell, warned that any peace agreement must be durable.
Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Advisor, said that outgoing President Joe Biden will warn Trump about how walking away from Ukraine could lead to greater instability in Europe.
Annalena Bärbock, the German Foreign Minister, warned that Putin might exploit the US post-election period to push Moscow’s interests in Ukraine. She urged EU member states to increase their aid to Kyiv.
In Ukraine, a dam was damaged by a Russian strike, and six people were killed in air strikes by Russia. The Kremlin claimed that Ukraine had been responsible for the damage.
Zelensky demanded stronger global assistance and more weapons to stop Russian aggression.