Update 11/11/24 at 12:46 pm EST: The Kremlin denied Putin and Trump held a call, calling the report “pure fiction”
President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin following his election victory last week, The Washington Post reported on Sunday.
A source told the Post that Trump advised Putin not to escalate in Ukraine and reminded the Russian leader of the sizeable US military presence in Europe. Sources also said they discussed bringing peace to Europe, and Trump expressed interest in a follow-up call to discuss “the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon.”
The call took place on Thursday, one day after the president-elect spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to Axios, Elon Musk joined Trump in the call with Zelensky, and the Ukrainian leader was somewhat reassured by what he heard.
Trump campaigned on ending the proxy war, and the Biden administration is worried that he’ll do just that after inauguration day. The Biden team is looking to rush billions in weapons shipments to Ukraine before January 20 to exhaust over $6 billion it has remaining to spend on the conflict.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said President Biden will try to convince Trump to continue the proxy war. “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,” Sullivan said.
Biden and Trump are expected to talk this Wednesday, and Sullivan said Biden “will have the chance to explain to President Trump how he sees things, where they stand, and talk to President Trump about how President Trump is thinking about taking on these issues when he takes office.”
