US President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 7, just two days after his election victory, Reuters reported. The two leaders reportedly discussed the situation in Ukraine, with Trump urging Putin to avoid escalating the conflict.
Sources familiar with the matter told the media that the US President-elect spoke with the Russian leader after the latter, in his congratulatory message to Trump, expressed his readiness to engage in talks and emphasised the importance of restoring US-Russia relations and working toward ending the war in Ukraine.
Trump took the call from his resort in Florida and advised Putin against escalating the war in Ukraine, while also reminding him of Washington's significant military presence in Europe, the report stated.
Neither the US nor Russia have confirmed the development.
Asserting that the desire to improve US-Russia relations needs attention, at a public event in Russia's Sochi last week, Putin had said, "Don’t think it’s wrong to hold a call with Trump. If some world’s leaders seek to restore contacts, I’m not against it. We are ready to speak to Trump,"
“About the desire to restore relations with Russia, to help end the Ukrainian crisis, in my opinion, deserves attention at least," he stressed.
He also referred to Trump as a "brave man", saying he was impressed with how Trump handled himself in the moments after an assassination attempt in July.
Before his call with Putin, Trump also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday. The Republican leader has criticised the extent of US military and financial aid to Kyiv, pledging to end the war swiftly, though without detailing how.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk also joined the call with Zelenskyy, who reported told Zelenskyy that he would continue to provide a Starlink satellite internet connection to Ukraine.
"We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation. Strong and unwavering US leadership is vital for the world and for a just peace," he said.
Republican Trump will take office on January 20 after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in the November 5 presidential election.
Source: India Today