Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone and discussed efforts to end the war in Ukraine, among other important topics, according to a media report on Sunday.
Since winning the recent presidential election, Trump has spoken to over 70 world leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.
The two leaders discussed the goal of achieving peace in Europe, and Trump expressed an interest in follow-up conversations regarding the resolution of the war in Ukraine soon. A former U.S. official familiar with the call suggested that Trump likely does not want to enter office with a fresh crisis in Ukraine caused by Russian escalation, which would give him an incentive to prevent the war from worsening.
Trump is scheduled to be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on January 20, 2025. During the call, which took place at his resort in Florida, Trump advised Putin not to escalate the war in Ukraine and reminded him of Washington’s significant military presence in Europe. The Ukrainian government has been informed about the conversation. Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, declined to comment on the private calls between Trump and world leaders, emphasizing that Trump’s victory represents global peace and stability.
