Trump talks to Putin for the first time after the election and warns of a tightening in Ukraine: report

A new report says President-elect Donald Trump spoke by phone with Russian leader Vladimir Putin last week for the first time since the election and warned him against stepping up his actions in Ukraine.

The new president noted U.S. military power in Europe during Thursday’s chat while trying to stop the Kremlin dictator from escalating Russia’s war in Ukraine, sources told The Washington Post. Trump also expressed interest in a follow-up conversation, the newspaper said.

The day before, on Wednesday, Trump, 78, also spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, although no details of the conversation were known other than Trump assuring Zelensky that he had his support. Tech guru Elon Musk was on that call.

During Trump’s run for the White House in 2024, he enthused that he could end the brutal war “within 24 hours,” although he gave no specifics on how.

Vice President-elect JD Vance had publicly presented a more concrete plan that called for a demilitarized zone between the two warring nations and included a commitment that Ukraine would not join NATO.

Zelensky called Vance a “radical” and rejected the plan. The Ukrainian president called for a return to his country’s 1991 borders, which would mean control over Crimea and the Donbass region.

Both Putin and Zelensky praised Trump after his victory against Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday.

“In my opinion, he behaved very correctly and courageously, like a real man,” Putin said last week, according to a translation. “I take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election.

“What was said about the desire to restore relations with Russia in order to bring an end to the Ukrainian crisis, in my opinion, deserves at least attention,” Putin said.

Zelensky also praised Trump after his victory.

“We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under the decisive leadership of President Trump. We depend on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States,” the former comedian and current president said in a statement last week.

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When asked about the reported phone call between Trump and Putin, Steven Cheung, communications director for the Trump-Vance campaign, told The Post: “We do not comment on private conversations between President Trump and other world leaders.”

“President Trump decisively won a historic election, and leaders around the world know that America will regain prominence on the world stage. “For this reason, leaders have begun to build closer ties with the 45th and 47th presidents,” Cheung said in a statement.

Trump has a mix of aides and advisers who are hostile to Ukraine, as well as some who are seen as friendlier to Kyiv, such as former adviser Kellyanne Conway, who is a registered lobbyist for Victor Pinchuk, a Ukrainian billionaire.

Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr., who appears to have outsized influence over his father’s staffing, recently took a swipe at Zelensky on social media, writing, “There are still 38 days until you lose your pay.”

On Saturday, Trump made it clear that two key pro-Ukraine former officials in his first administration — former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — will not return to his new administration.

In Ukraine, senior officials consider the president-elect to be somewhat unpredictable, although Zelensky has expressed optimism that Trump will continue U.S. support for Kiev.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan reiterated on Sunday that the Biden administration intends to continue its support for Ukraine for the rest of its term, but was cautious about whether it would first try to persuade Congress to do so again To pass a package to replenish aid to the war-torn country it will end.

“By January 20th, we will have sent the full amount of resources and assistance authorized by Congress to Ukraine,” Sullivan told CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”

“President Biden will have an opportunity over the next 70 days to make the case to Congress and the new administration that the United States should not withdraw from Ukraine because withdrawing from Ukraine means more instability in Europe.”