Trump calls President Putin on Ukraine conflict solution

The call took place on November 7, shortly after Trump won the election. According to a source, the US president-elect is said to have urged Mr Putin to “not escalate” the conflict, while reminding him of the significant US military presence in Europe.

Additionally, multiple unnamed sources told the Washington Post that Trump and Putin discussed “the goal of peace on the European continent,” with the US president-elect expressing interest in further talks to discuss “an early resolution of the war in Ukraine.” The Post did not reveal what, if any, reaction Trump’s remarks might have had.

Moscow has yet to officially comment on the reported call between Trump and Putin. On November 7, the president-elect told NBC News that he had spoken to “probably” 70 world leaders since winning the election, but Putin was not among them. “I think we’ll talk,” Trump said at the time.

Trump spoke with Ukrainian leader Zelensky, who described the conversation as “positive” and said it was encouraging that Trump had reached out so soon after his victory. President Zelensky noted that he “cannot yet know” what Trump’s final actions will be and that if the conflict is resolved “only quickly,” it could mean “a loss for Ukraine.”

During his campaign, Trump repeatedly pledged to end the conflict between Moscow and Kiev quickly, possibly even before he officially takes office. However, he has not offered any specifics on how he plans to achieve this.