The Washington Post reported on Sunday that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to avoid escalating the conflict in Ukraine. The conversation took place on Thursday from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, shortly after his unexpected election victory over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. Sources familiar with the call told the Post that Trump reminded Putin of the significant U.S. military presence in Europe and expressed a desire for further discussions to help resolve the conflict.
This conversation underscores Trump’s interest in reshaping U.S.-Russia relations, emphasizing diplomacy over military action. Such an approach could redefine how the U.S. engages in global conflicts and influence its international alliances going forward.
During his election campaign, Trump vowed to end the conflict in Ukraine “within a day” but did not provide details of how he would achieve that goal. He has railed against the billions in US aid that Kyiv receives to counter Russia’s invasion and has suggested it helps fund a pro-war nexus of defense companies and foreign policy hawks. However, during a September meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Republican pledged not to abandon Ukraine and signaled that he was open to finding a diplomatic path to peace.
Sources cited by the Post say Trump has made clear to Putin that the US will not accept Russia’s annexation of Crimea and will not seek to regain territory in Ukraine or elsewhere in Europe. They also say he has signaled that he is open to talks with Moscow on Ukraine and other issues of concern, including Syria, Iran, and North Korea.
Ukrainian officials praised the call with Putin as a sign of a positive shift in the US-Russia relationship under the next administration. The Kremlin, for its part, said it welcomed the US interest in resolving the war but did not indicate any willingness to alter Moscow’s demands that Ukraine drop its NATO ambitions and withdraw from the territories of four regions claimed by Russia. Ukrainian’s foreign ministry disputed the claim that Kyiv was informed about the call and did not object to it, saying that reports to this effect were false. According to the sources cited by the Post, the two leaders agreed to hold further discussions to resolve the conflict.
