Kremlin says reports of Trump-Putin talk on Ukraine are ‘pure fiction’ | Donald Trump

The Kremlin has rejected reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, calling the media reports “pure fiction.”

The Washington Post, citing unidentified sources, initially reported a call saying Trump told Putin not to escalate the Ukraine war. Reuters also reported that there was a call.

“It is completely untrue. It’s pure fiction; “It’s simply false information,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked about the call. “There was no conversation.”

“This is the most obvious example of the quality of information that is currently being published, sometimes even in quite reputable publications,” Peskov said.

Peskov added that Putin currently has no concrete plans to talk to Trump.

According to the Washington Post, Trump reminded Putin of “Washington’s significant military presence in Europe.” It added that Trump had expressed interest in further discussions on “the early resolution of the Ukraine war.”

The alleged call came after Putin on Thursday congratulated Trump on his election victory and expressed admiration for the way Trump responded to an assassination attempt during the campaign.

According to media reports, Trump also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday.

Peskov on Monday also accused European leaders of continuing to seek a “strategic defeat” for Russia. Peskov was responding to a question about the possibility that Britain would allow Ukraine to use Storm Shadow long-range missile systems to hit targets inside Russia.

The Kremlin has repeatedly said Putin is ready to discuss Ukraine with the West, but that does not mean he is ready to change Moscow’s demands.

On June 14, Putin took a maximalist position for an end to the war: Ukraine must abandon its NATO ambitions and withdraw all its troops from the entire territory of the four regions claimed by Russia.

During the campaign, Trump said he would find a solution to end the war “within a day,” but did not explain how he would do so.

Washington has provided tens of billions of dollars in U.S. military and economic aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022, funding that Trump has repeatedly criticized and railed against along with other Republican lawmakers.