The Kremlin has dismissed as “completely untrue” a report from The Washington Post claiming that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump held a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the war in Ukraine. Dmitry Peskov, the Russian government spokesperson, strongly rejected the claims on Monday, describing the report as “false information” and “pure fiction.”
The Washington Post reported on Sunday that Trump spoke with Putin for the first time since his recent election victory. During the conversation, the two leaders allegedly discussed the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, with Trump urging Putin not to escalate the war and emphasizing the importance of peace in Europe. The report also claimed that Trump expressed interest in follow-up talks to resolve the conflict soon.
However, Peskov firmly denied the account, stating that no such conversation took place. “There are no concrete plans for talks between the two leaders at this point,” he clarified, adding that the media was spreading misleading information. “This is the most obvious example of the quality of information being published, even by reputable outlets,” Peskov remarked, as quoted by Russia’s state-run Sputnik news agency.
The Kremlin’s denial comes at a time of uncertainty about Trump’s approach to the war in Ukraine. Trump, who has promised to bring an end to the conflict quickly after taking office in January, had previously suggested that he might support a peace deal allowing Russia to retain some of the territories it has captured in Ukraine. He has also floated the idea of deploying European forces to enforce a buffer zone between Russian and Ukrainian troops, with no U.S. involvement.
Although Trump has stated he’s spoken to numerous world leaders since his election victory, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, his recent conversations have elicited mixed reactions. Sources indicate that Ukrainian officials were made aware of Trump’s alleged call with Putin but did not oppose it. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has expressed cautious optimism about Trump’s potential stance on Ukraine, with Peskov noting that the president-elect has suggested he could broker a peace deal through his business-like approach to diplomacy.
Despite the controversy surrounding this latest report, Trump’s position on the war continues to evolve. How he intends to handle the situation in Ukraine remains one of the key questions as he prepares to assume office in January.
