The Kremlin denies that President-elect Trump spoke with Putin about Ukraine

• Putin has ‘no concrete plans’ for any contacts with Trump: Kremlin.
• Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Zelensky last Wednesday.
• Biden and Trump likely to discuss Europe, Middle East in Oval Office.

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

the source said Reuters on Sunday that Trump, who has criticized the scale of US military and economic support for Kiev and said he would quickly end the war, had spoken with Putin in recent days.

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

But in an unusual move, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that there had been no such call.

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

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

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

Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last Wednesday.

Asked about the alleged Trump-Putin conversation, Stephen Chung, Trump’s communications director, said: “We do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders.”

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

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that Biden’s top message will be his commitment to ensure a peaceful transition of power, and he will also talk to Trump about what’s happening in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

“President Biden will have an opportunity in the next 70 days to argue to Congress and the incoming administration that the United States should not leave Ukraine, that leaving Ukraine means more instability in Europe,” Sullivan said. CBS News’ “Face the Nation” show.

Sullivan was asked if Biden would ask Congress to pass legislation to authorize more funding for Ukraine.

“I’m not here to make a specific legislative proposal. President Biden will argue that we do need continued resources for Ukraine after his term ends,” he said.

Ukrainian financing

Washington has provided tens of billions of dollars worth of US military and economic aid to Ukraine since its February 2022 invasion by Russia, funding that Trump has repeatedly criticized and aligned with other Republican lawmakers.

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

Zelensky said Thursday that he did not know the details of Trump’s plan to quickly end the war and that he was convinced that a quick end would involve significant concessions from Kiev.

According to the Government Accountability Office, Congress appropriated more than $174 billion to Ukraine under Biden. The pace of aid is almost certain to fall under Trump, with Republicans in 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 researchjust shy of the 218 required for a majority. If Republicans win both houses, it will mean that most of Trump’s agenda will have a much easier time getting through Congress.

Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Haggerty, a Trump ally considered a front-runner for secretary of state, criticized U.S. funding for Ukraine in a CBS interview.

“The American people want sovereignty protected here in America before we spend our money and our resources to protect another nation’s sovereignty,” Haggerty said.