President-elect Donald Trump had his first post-election phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin last week, warning him against increasing intervention in Ukraine, according to a new report.
During Thursday's meeting, the president-elect focused on U.S. military power in Europe while the Kremlin dictator sought to prevent Russia from escalating the war in Ukraine, officials said. washington post. According to the newspaper, President Trump also expressed interest in follow-up talks.
The previous Wednesday, the 78-year-old President Trump also spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but details of the conversation were unclear, other than Trump declaring his support for Zelensky. Tech guru Elon Musk also answered the call.
During his bid for the White House in 2024, Mr. Trump vowed he could end the brutal war “within 24 hours,” but lacked specifics on how he would do so.
Vice President-elect J.D. Vance had publicly laid out a more specific plan, including a demilitarized zone between the warring countries and a pledge that Ukraine would not join NATO.
Zelenskiy called Vance an “extremist” and scrapped the plan. Ukraine's president has called for a return to the 1991 borders, which would mean control of Crimea and the Donbass region.
Presidents Putin and Zelensky praised President Trump on Tuesday for his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.
“In my opinion, he acted in a very correct way, bravely, like a real man,” Putin said last week, according to a translation. “I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election.
“I think what was said about the desire to restore relations with Russia and end the crisis in Ukraine is at least noteworthy,” Putin said.
Zelensky similarly praised President Trump after his victory.
“We look forward to an era of a strong United States under President Trump's decisive leadership. We rely on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States.” the comedian-turned-president said in a statement last week.
When asked about the reported phone call between President Trump and President Putin, Steven Chan, communications director for the Trump and Vance campaigns, told the Post:
“President Trump decisively won a historic election and leaders around the world know America will once again return to prominence on the world stage. We have begun the process of building a stronger relationship with the representative president,” Chan said in a statement.
While some of Trump's top aides and advisers have distanced themselves from Ukraine, some are considered more friendly to Kyiv, including former adviser Kellyanne Conway, a registered lobbyist for Ukrainian billionaire Viktor Pinchuk. Some people are.
Mr. Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., who appears to have a great deal of influence over his father's personnel decisions, recently criticized Mr. Zelensky on social media, writing, “I'm out of pocket money in 38 days.'' .
On Saturday, President Trump announced that two key pro-Ukrainian figures from his first administration, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, would not return to the new administration.
In Ukraine, officials see the next president as somewhat unpredictable, but Zelenskiy expressed optimism that Trump will continue U.S. aid to Kiev.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that the Biden administration intends to continue aiding Ukraine for the remainder of its term, but whether to get Congress to pass another package to replenish aid to the war-torn country. He declared that he was cautious about this. It ends.
“By January 20th, we will be sending Ukraine the full amount of resources and aid that Congress has authorized,” Sullivan said on CBS News' “Face the Nation.”
“President Biden will have an opportunity over the next 70 days to make the case to Congress and the next administration that the United States should not withdraw from Ukraine, and that withdrawing from Ukraine would mean further destabilization in Europe. .”
