The winner of the U.S. elections, the Republican Donald Trumpspoke this week by phone with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, y advised him not to intensify the Ukraine warreported this Sunday in an exclusive report by the newspaper The Washington Post.
According to the newspaper, Trump reminded the Russian leader of the considerable military presence the U.S. has in Europe and expressed interest in follow-up talks to address “the resolution of the Ukrainian war soon.”
During the election campaign, Trump claimed to be able to reach a deal within 24 hours to end the Ukraine war, but he did not elaborate on this, and his critics point out that would be willing to cede part of Ukrainian territory to Russia.unacceptable to the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelenski.
According to the newspaper, the Ukrainian government was informed of the phone call between Trump and Putin and did not object to that conversation.
Since winning Tuesday’s election, the Republican has held some 70 calls with world leaders, including one with Zelenski in which tycoon Elon Musk also participated.
Trump conducts these phone conversations from his Florida mansion without the participation of the State DepartmentThe Republican’s team distrusts career civil servants.
Putin on Thursday publicly congratulated Trump on his election victory, called him “courageous” for his response to an assassination attempt on him at an election rally last July, and was “willing” to maintain contacts with him.
“What he has said publicly so far (…), what was said about his desire to restore relations with Russia, contribute to ending the Ukrainian crisis, deserves, at the very least, attention.”the Russian president noted.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, called Trump’s claim that he will end the conflict in Ukraine “within 24 hours” an “exaggeration.”
Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden plans to speed up the shipment of weaponry to Ukraine in order to deliver before the end of his term of office the $6 billion remaining aid approved by Congress.
Trump, who will take office on January 20, has been highly critical of the shipment of weaponry to Ukraine.