Kremlin Denies Reports of Trump-Putin Call Over Ukraine Conflict

Monday 11 November 2024 - 13:20

The Kremlin has dismissed media reports claiming that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump had a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which Trump allegedly urged Putin to avoid escalating the war in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described these reports as "pure fiction," stating that they were entirely false and that no such conversation took place.

"This is completely untrue. It is pure fiction and false information," Peskov told journalists, expressing his concern over the quality of information being published, even by reputable outlets. He added that there were no immediate plans for any communication between Putin and Trump.

The Washington Post had originally reported that Trump, from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, spoke with Putin just days after his victory over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. The report, citing anonymous sources, claimed that Trump reminded Putin of the U.S. military's significant presence in Europe and expressed interest in discussions aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine.

Reuters also reported on the alleged call, citing anonymous sources. However, Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, did not confirm the details of the conversation, stating that the Trump team does not comment on private discussions between the president-elect and other world leaders.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, authorities issued a national alert and implemented preventive power outages in several cities due to threats of a large-scale Russian missile attack. The air force issued warnings about the possibility of missile launches from Russian bombers. Air alerts and blackouts were reported in cities such as Kyiv, Mykolaiv, and Kharkiv, with people seeking shelter in metro stations as a precaution. However, by the early hours of the morning, no missile attacks had been confirmed, with some military sources suggesting that the bombers were simulating missile launches.

Earlier, Russian airstrikes had caused casualties in southern Ukraine, with at least six people killed in Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia. These attacks followed a day of intense drone strikes between Moscow and Kyiv.

Trump’s election is expected to significantly impact the ongoing war in Ukraine. He has consistently called for a swift end to the conflict and has expressed skepticism about continuing U.S. financial aid to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a call with Trump last Wednesday, which was also attended by billionaire Elon Musk.

The outgoing administration of President Joe Biden has confirmed that it will continue to provide support to Ukraine before Trump’s inauguration in January. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan emphasized that the U.S. aims to strengthen Ukraine’s position on the battlefield to ensure it can negotiate from a strong stance in future peace talks.