Kremlin denies reports of Trump-Putin call, warning against escalating Ukraine war

US President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin recently engaged in their first post-election call, according to reports.

According to a Washington Post report citing sources familiar with the conversation, on Thursday (Nov 7), the two leaders discussed the war in Ukraine and also touched on the goal of achieving peace in Europe.

However, the Kremlin has denied the report. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists that the Washington Post report was “simply false information”.

Reportedly, the call, conducted from Trump’s Florida resort, saw the Republican warn Russian President Putin against escalating the conflict while reminding him of “Washington's sizeable military presence in Europe”.

Trump reportedly voiced interest in further talks to discuss “the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon”, echoing his campaign pledge to end the conflict quickly.

While Trump has yet to clarify specific steps towards achieving this, the leader, known for his transactional approach to foreign policy, has privately suggested he might support a peace settlement involving concessions from Ukraine.

World leaders calling Trump directly

Since his election win on Nov 7, Trump said he has already talked to over 70 world leaders. However, as per the report, contrary to the protocol, he is conducting these calls independently. The Trump transition team is yet to sign an agreement with the General Services Administration — a standard procedure for presidential transitions — and has refrained from engaging the State Department for these conversations.

This is because distrust of career officials, especially after transcripts of calls from his previous term were leaked, has led Trump's team to bypass standard protocols. Instead, world leaders are “just calling [Trump] directly,” noted a person familiar with the calls.

Trump has also spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a call reportedly joined by Elon Musk. While the tone was friendly, Ukrainian officials have expressed concern about Trump’s intentions regarding continued support for Kyiv. Trump has been vocal about the burden of US funding for Kyiv, suggesting that peace may come with difficult compromises — like Ukraine giving up some of its territory such as Crimea to Russia.

(With inputs from agencies)