US President-elect Donald Trump held a phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin the day after his victory in the elections. During the conversation, Trump advised Putin to avoid escalating the war in Ukraine, say sources familiar with the matter, The Washington Post reports.
It is unclear how much the Russian president heeded Trump’s advice, as the days after his election victory, Russia launched several large-scale attacks on Ukraine, including the largest drone strike of the war to date, using 145 Iranian-made Shaheds and other kamikaze drones.
“During the call, which Trump took from his resort in Florida, he advised the Russian president not to escalate the war in Ukraine and reminded him of Washington’s sizable military presence in Europe,” said a person familiar with the call.
The conversation was also focused on peace goals on the European continent, and Trump expressed interest in further talks to discuss soon resolving the war in Ukraine.
During his presidential campaign, Trump claimed that he would end the war in Ukraine quickly, though he did not provide details on how he would accomplish this, The Washington Post reminds.
At the same time, Trump privately signaled he would support an agreement allowing Russia to keep the Ukrainian territories it has occupied. During the conversation on Thursday, he briefly raised the issue of territory, sources said.
The conversation, which had not previously been reported, took place amid general uncertainty over how Trump plans to reset the “world chessboard” of diplomacy following his decisive victory on Tuesday, the report notes.
It remains uncertain how Putin responded to Trump’s proposals. Experts suggest that freezing the war and conceding territories to Russia would be seen as a defeat for the West. At the same time, Putin could use the territories as a base for further advances into Ukraine after a period of resource accumulation. Additionally, the potential lifting of sanctions on Russia would allow the country to rapidly restore its military production and expand its influence in the West.
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