Donald Trump speaks to Putin, advises not to escalate Ukraine war: Report
Trump is likely to try to force Kyiv and Moscow into at least a ceasefire along the current front lines. It is also likely that Trump would accept demands by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, to prevent a future Ukrainian NATO membership.
Russia-Ukraine war: US President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and advised him not to escalate the Ukraine war, Reuters reported. As per the reports, Trump dialed Putin on November 7 from his resort in Florida, just days after his historic election victory.
After winning the recent presidential elections, Trump has spoken to over 70 world leaders. Among the firsts were Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.
Trump speaks to Putin
Sources familiar with the matter said that the US President-elect spoke with the Russian leader following the latter's congratulatory message, in which he expressed a willingness to engage in dialogue and highlighted the need to rebuild US-Russia relations and work toward resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
"The two men discussed the goal of peace on the European continent and Trump expressed an interest in follow-up conversations to discuss 'the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon,” one of the people said,” The Washington Post said in an exclusive report.
"One former US official who was familiar with the Putin call said that Trump likely does not want to enter office with a fresh crisis in Ukraine prompted by Russian escalation, “giving him the incentive to want to keep the war from worsening," the daily said.
"During the call, which Trump took from his resort in Florida, he advised the Russian president not to escalate the war in Ukraine and reminded him of Washington’s sizable military presence in Europe, said a person familiar with the call, who, like others interviewed for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter," The Washington Post reported.
Meanwhile, Steven Cheung, Trump's communications director told PTI that they would not comment on the private calls between President-elect Trump and other world leaders. "President Trump won a historic election decisively and leaders from around the world know America will return to prominence on the world stage. That is why leaders have begun the process of developing stronger relationships with the 45th and 47th President because he represents global peace and stability," Cheung said.
Before his call with Putin, Trump also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday. Trump has criticised the scale of the US military and financial support for Kyiv, vowing to end the war quickly, without saying how. Tech billionaire Elon Musk also joined the call with Zelenskyy, who reported told Zelenskyy that he would continue to provide a Starlink satellite internet connection to Ukraine.
Notably, Republican Trump will take office on January 20 after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in the November 5 presidential election.
Ukraine Funding
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Washington has supplied Ukraine with tens of billions of dollars in US military and economic support—a commitment that Trump has frequently criticised, joining other Republican lawmakers in opposing the funding. Last year, Trump stated that Putin would not have launched the invasion had he been president. He also told Reuters that Ukraine might need to concede some territory to achieve peace, a proposal that Ukraine opposes and that Biden has not endorsed.
According to the Government Accountability Office, Congress appropriated over USD 174 billion to Ukraine under Biden. The pace of the aid is almost sure to drop under Trump with Republicans set to take control of the US Senate with a 52-seat majority.
The 2-1/2-year-old war in Ukraine is entering what some officials say could be its final act after Moscow's forces advanced at the fastest pace since the early days of the war.
Any fresh attempt to end the war is likely to involve peace talks of some kind, which have not been held since the early months of the war. Moscow's forces occupy around a fifth of Ukraine. Russia says the war cannot end until its claimed annexations are recognized. Kyiv demands all of its territory back, a position that has largely been supported by Western allies.
(With agencies input)