In a stunning development, multiple sources are reporting that US President-elect Donald Trump held a private phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Thursday, just days after his election victory, in which he allegedly urged the Russian leader not to escalate the ongoing war in Ukraine. However, the Kremlin has vehemently denied these reports, dismissing them as “pure fiction.”
Trump Advises Putin to Show Restraint in Ukraine
According to an anonymous senior official with knowledge of the call, Trump used the opportunity to lay out his vision for a recalibrated US-Russia relationship and to stake out his position on the nearly 2-year-old conflict that has ravaged much of eastern Ukraine. The Washington Post first reported details of the call, citing the official who recounted that Trump reminded Putin of the “sizeable US military presence in Europe” while imploring him not to further escalate the war.
The call, if confirmed, would represent the first known interaction between the two leaders since Trump’s upset victory over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton last Tuesday. Throughout the campaign, Trump repeatedly praised Putin’s leadership style and expressed a desire to cooperate more closely with Russia on issues like counter-terrorism, while downplaying allegations of Russian interference in the election.
“Getting along with Russia would be a good thing, not a bad thing,”
Trump famously stated in one presidential debate
Kremlin Dismisses Reports as “Pure Fiction”
However, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov categorically denied on Monday that any such conversation had occurred, telling reporters the reports were “completely untrue” and lambasting the Washington Post and other “reputable publications” for spreading what the Kremlin considers baseless rumors.
“This is pure fiction, it’s just false information,”
Peskov stated bluntly.
Neither the White House nor Trump’s transition team has yet commented on the alleged call or the Kremlin’s blistering denial. If substantiated though, the reports could provide insight into how the president-elect intends to approach one of the thorniest foreign policy challenges he will inherit upon taking office in January.
Trump’s Stance on Ukraine Conflict Under Scrutiny
During the campaign, Trump often sidestepped questions about his specific plans for the Ukraine crisis, saying he would “take a look” at the possibility of recognizing Russia’s annexation of Crimea and hinting he may curtail US support for Ukraine in its war against Russian-backed separatists. His more conciliatory rhetoric toward Moscow stoked concerns among Ukrainian leaders about a potential pivot in US policy under a Trump administration.
Those fears were compounded when Trump chose Paul Manafort, a veteran political consultant with longstanding ties to pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine, to serve as his campaign chairman. Although Manafort was ousted amid growing scrutiny of his past lobbying work, his influential role reinforced perceptions that Trump would pursue a more Kremlin-friendly approach to the conflict.
Ukraine Warns Against “Concessions” to Putin
In the wake of Trump’s victory, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has sought to rally support from allies in Congress and Europe, warning there should be “no concessions” to Putin on Ukraine’s territorial integrity or sovereignty. In a statement, Poroshenko cautioned that ceding land to Russia would only embolden further aggression.
“Any compromises with the Kremlin without adherence to the fundamental principles of international law are unacceptable,”
the Ukrainian leader declared.
With the veracity of the reported Trump-Putin call still unclear, Ukrainian officials are no doubt anxiously waiting for more definitive signals of the president-elect’s intentions. At stake for Kiev is not only the $1.3 billion in US aid it has received since 2014 to help repel the Russian incursion, but the overall direction of American policy toward its embattled eastern regions.
Uncertainty Reigns as Inauguration Nears
As Trump assembles his foreign policy team, the swirling reports and denials of his communications with Putin have only intensified the air of uncertainty hanging over Washington. Whether the alleged call portends a significant shift in US strategy or amounts to diplomatic “fiction,” as the Kremlin insists, remains to be seen.
What is certain, however, is that Trump’s handling of the Ukraine war and his engagement with Putin will be among the most consequential and closely scrutinized elements of his early foreign policy agenda. With violence still flaring in Ukraine’s contested Donbas region, much hangs in the balance as Trump prepares to enter the White House.
For now, like the Ukrainian soldiers still manning frontline trenches in the east, the world is left to await the first clear actions of the next US president – and the first real indications of whether a Trump-led rapprochement with Moscow will materialize at the expense of Kiev.
