President-elect Donald Trump held his first post-election call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin last week and warned him against ramping up in Ukraine, a new report says.
The incoming president took note of US military power in Europe while seeking to discourage the Kremlin dictator from intensifying Russia’s war in Ukraine during the Thursday chat, sources told the Washington Post. Trump also expressed interest in a follow-up talk, the outlet said.
The day before, on Wednesday, Trump, 78, spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the phone as well, though details of their conversation were not known other than Trump assuring Zelensky he had his support. Tech guru Elon Musk was on that call.
Throughout Trump’s 2024 bid for the White House, he crowed that he could end the brutal war “within 24 hours,” though he was short on specifics as to how.
Vice President-elect JD Vance had publicly laid out a slightly more specific plan that would feature a demilitarized zone between the two warring nations and entail a pledge that Ukraine wouldn’t join NATO.
Zelensky admonished Vance as “radical” and ripped that plan. The Ukrainian president has demanded a return to his country’s 1991 borders, which would mean control of Crimea and the Donbas region.
Both Putin and Zelensky praised Trump after his victory against Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday.
“He behaved, in my opinion, in a very correct way, courageously, like a real man,” Putin said last week, according to a translation. “I take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election.
“What was said about the desire to restore relations with Russia, to bring about the end of the Ukrainian crisis, in my opinion, this deserves attention at least,” Putin said.
Zelensky had similarly praised Trump after his win.
“We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership. We rely on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States,” the former comedian-turned-president said in a statement last week.
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When asked about the reported call between Trump and Putin, Trump-Vance Campaign Communications Director Steven Cheung told The Post, “We do not comment on private calls between President 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,” Cheung said in a statement.
Trump has a mix of aides and advisers who lean away from Ukraine, as well as some who are thought to be more friendly toward Kyiv, such as former adviser Kellyanne Conway, who is a registered lobbyist for Victor Pinchuk, a Ukrainian billionaire.
Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., who appears to have outsized influence over his father’s staff appointments, recently took a swipe on social media against Zelensky, writing, “You’re 38 days from losing your allowance.”
On Saturday, Trump made clear that two key Ukraine-friendly alums of his first administration — former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — won’t be returning to his new administration.
Inside Ukraine, top officials view the president-elect as somewhat unpredictable, though Zelensky has voiced optimism that Trump will continue US support of Kyiv.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan affirmed Sunday that the Biden administration intends to carry on with its support of Ukraine for the remainder of its time but was coy about whether it would try to get Congress to pass another package replenishing aid to the war-torn nation before it exits.
“By Jan. 20, we will have sent the full amount of resources and aid to Ukraine the Congress has authorized,” Sullivan told CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”
“President Biden will have the opportunity over the next 70 days to make the case to the Congress and to the incoming administration that the United States should not walk away from Ukraine, that walking away from Ukraine means more instability in Europe.”
