As Donald Trump gets ready for his formal inauguration in January, the President-elect has already begun positioning his future moves. According to media reports, Trump is looking to sort the Ukraine crisis as a priority. Some reports indicate that Trump has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone to find a solution to the long-drawn conflict, but the news has been refuted by Moscow as “pure fiction“.
Before Moscow shot down reports of Putin’s purported talks with Donald Trump, sources had reported that Trump spoke with the Russian leader, in his congratulatory message to Trump. It added that Putin expressed his readiness to engage in talks and emphasised the importance of restoring US-Russia relations and working toward ending the war in Ukraine.
“We do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders,” said Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, when asked about the phone call, which was first reported by The Washington Post.
The Russian President’s Press Secretary has meanwhile questioned the credibility of the US media publications that reported the alleged conversation. “This (shows) the most obvious example of the quality of the information that is now being published, sometimes even in fairly respected publications,” Peskov remarked, as quoted by Russia’s Tass news agency.
Earlier Putin had asserted the desire to improve US-Russia relations. At a public event in Russia’s Sochi last week, Putin 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. Putin 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 regularly criticised the extent of US military and financial aid to Kyiv, pledging to end the war swiftly. Tesla CEO Elon Musk also reportedly joined the call, Musk 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.
Trump’s stand on Ukraine
The United States has provided tens of billions of dollars worth of U.S. military and economic aid to Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia in February 2022. According to the Government Accountability Office, the US Congress appropriated over $174 billion to Ukraine under Biden. The aid is expected to drop considerably under Trump with Republicans set to take control of the U.S. Senate with a 52-seat majority.
The huge funding to Ukraine has been heavily criticized by Donald Trump and other Republican leaders. Trump has also consistently suggested that Putin would never have invaded Ukraine if he had been in the White House at the time.
Trump’s running mate and soon to be the Vice President of the USA, JD Vance elaborated on Trump’s plans to end the crisis. Vance said that Donald Trump would sit down with the Russians, Ukrainians, and Europeans and figure out a peaceful settlement. Vance also went on to outline what he thought a deal would entail: The Russians would retain the land they had taken and a demilitarized zone would be established along the current battle lines, with the Ukrainian side heavily fortified to prevent another Russian invasion.
While the remainder of Ukraine would remain an independent sovereign state, Mr. Vance said, Russia would get a “guarantee of neutrality” from Ukraine. “It doesn’t join NATO, it doesn’t join some of these sort of allied institutions,” Mr. Vance said. “I think that’s ultimately what this looks like.”
Details of the call
After winning the recent presidential elections, Trump has already spoken to over 70 world leaders. Among the firsts were Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. However, the call between Trump and Putin also holds special significance as it could potentially put an end to a massive global crisis.
“The two men discussed the goal of peace on the European continent and Trump expressed interest in follow-up conversations to discuss the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon” US media sources reported.
“One former US official, who was familiar with the Putin call, said that Trump likely does not want to enter office with a fresh crisis in Ukraine prompted by Russian escalation, ‘giving him the incentive to want to keep the war from worsening’,” the report said.
Trump is scheduled to be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on January 20, 2025. Ukraine has been informed about the Trump-Putin call. During the call, which Trump took from his resort in Florida, he apparently advised the Russian President not to escalate the war in Ukraine and reminded him of Washington’s sizable military presence in Europe, The Washington Post reported.
Meanwhile, Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director said they would not comment on the private calls between Trump and other world leaders. “President Trump won a historic election decisively and leaders from around the world know America will return to prominence on the world stage. That is why leaders have begun the process of developing stronger relationships with the 45th and 47th President because he represents global peace and stability,” Cheung said.