The Kremlin on Monday (November 11) denied reports about President Putin’s phone call last week with the newly elected US President Trump discussing the Ukraine conflict.
According to the report by the Associated Press, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated in a press conference call on Monday that Trump and Putin “did not have any conversation” and that the reports were “completely untrue and baseless.”
Peskov added, “This is one of the most glaring examples of the current quality of information being disseminated, sometimes even in reputable media outlets.”
When asked if Putin had any plans to have contact with Trump, Peskov said, “There are currently no specific plans.”
The Washington Post was the first to report on Sunday (November 10) based on anonymous sources that during a call on Thursday (November 7), Trump advised Putin not to escalate the Ukraine conflict and mentioned the massive US military presence in Europe.
When asked about the reports, Steven Cheung, the communications director for Trump’s campaign team, stated, “We do not comment on private conversations between President Trump and other world leaders.”
Putin, after delivering a speech at a Black Sea resort in Sochi, Russia last Thursday, congratulated Trump on his victory at an international forum, saying, “I want to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election as President of the United States.”
Putin also praised Trump’s courage, saying, “His behavior at the moment of an attempted assassination left a deep impression on me. It proves that he is a brave man.”
Putin also noted that what Trump said about “hoping to restore relations with Russia and help end the Ukraine crisis is at least worthy of attention.”
Peskov had previously stated last Thursday that given Trump’s statement of “calling Putin before the inauguration,” the Kremlin did not rule out the possibility of contact between Putin and Trump before the inauguration.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the reports suggesting that Ukraine was informed in advance of a call between the two leaders were false.
Trump had a call with Ukrainian President Zelensky last Wednesday.
During the election campaign, Trump had mentioned that he would find a solution to end the war “within a day” of taking office, without detailing specific measures. Trump’s inauguration is scheduled for January 20th next year.
Senior Ukrainian officials confirmed last Friday that Trump expressed support for Ukraine and world’s richest man Musk also briefly participated in the call, pledging to continue providing Starlink services to Ukraine.