On Monday, the Kremlin denied claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump recently discussed the Ukraine crisis over the phone.
According to a report from *The Washington Post and other online media outlets on Sunday, Trump allegedly spoke with Putin by phone on Thursday, urging him to avoid further escalation in Ukraine.
Putin’s Press Secretary, Dmitry Peskov, dismissed the story, calling it “completely false information.”
The Washington Post claimed that Trump, speaking from his Florida resort, cautioned the Russian leader against intensifying the conflict and mentioned the substantial U.S. military presence in Europe, citing a source familiar with the conversation who requested anonymity due to the topic’s sensitive nature.
The BBC further reported that Putin, speaking in Sochi, commented on Trump’s previous term, saying he was “hounded from all sides.”
Putin also remarked that Trump’s assertion of his ability to end the Ukraine war “deserves attention, at least.”
During his campaign, Trump has repeatedly vowed to bring an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as well as to conflicts in the Middle East.