Source says Trump told Putin not to escalate war in Ukraine, Kremlin denies they spoke

US president-elect Donald Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and advised him not to escalate the Ukraine war, a source familiar with the conversation said, but the Kremlin denied the two had spoken.

The source told Reuters on Sunday Trump, who has criticised the scale of US military and financial support for Kyiv and said he will end the war quickly, had spoken to Putin in recent days.

The Washington Post first reported the call had taken place, citing unidentified sources, and said Trump had told Putin he should not escalate the Ukraine war.

In an unusual move, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday no such call had taken place.

“This is completely untrue. This is pure fiction, it's just false information,” he told reporters. “There was no conversation.

“This is the most obvious example of the quality of the information being published now, sometimes even in fairly reputable publications,” he said.

Asked whether Putin had plans for contact with Trump, Peskov said: “There are no concrete plans yet.”

Trump spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last Wednesday.

Asked about the purported Trump-Putin call, Steven Cheung, Trump's communications director, said: “We do not comment on private calls between Trump and other world leaders.”

Republican Trump will take office on January 20 after winning the November 5 presidential election. Biden has invited Trump to the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House said.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday Biden's top message would be his commitment to ensure a peaceful transfer of power and he will also talk to Trump about what's happening in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

“Biden will have the opportunity over the next 70 days to make the case to Congress and to the incoming administration that the US should not walk away from Ukraine, that walking away from Ukraine means more instability in Europe,” Sullivan told CBS News' “Face the Nation” show.

Sullivan was asked whether Biden would ask Congress to pass legislation to authorise more funding for Ukraine.

“I'm not here to put forward a specific legislative proposal. Biden will make the case that we need ongoing resources for Ukraine beyond the end of his term,” he said.

Washington has provided tens of billions of dollars worth of US military and economic aid to Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia in February 2022, funding Trump has repeatedly criticised and rallied against with other Republican legislators.

Trump said last year if he had been in the White House at the time, Putin would not have invaded Ukraine. He told Reuters Ukraine may have to cede territory to reach a peace agreement, something Kyiv rejects and Biden has never suggested.

Zelensky said on Thursday he was not aware of any details of Trump's plan to end the war quickly and he was convinced a rapid end would entail major concessions by Kyiv.

According to the government accountability office, Congress appropriated more than $174bn (R3.1-trillion) to Ukraine under Biden. The pace of the aid is almost sure to drop under Trump, with Republicans set to take control of the US Senate with a 52-seat majority.

Control of the US House of Representatives in the next Congress is not yet clear, with some votes still being counted. Republicans have won 213 seats, according to Edison Research, just shy of the 218 needed for a majority. If Republicans win both chambers, it will mean most of Trump's agenda will have a significantly easier time passing through Congress.

Republican Senator Bill Hagerty, a Trump ally considered a top contender for secretary of state, criticised US funding for Ukraine in a CBS interview.

“The American people want sovereignty protected here in America before we spend our funds and resources protecting the sovereignty of another nation,” Hagerty said.

Reuters