WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday and discussed the war in Ukraine, the Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Trump advised Putin not to escalate the war in Ukraine and reminded him of “Washington’s important military presence in Europe,” the Post reported.
During the election campaign, Trump said he would find a solution to end the war “in one day,” but he did not explain how he would do it.
Trump also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday, according to media reports.
On Friday, the Kremlin said Putin was willing to discuss Ukraine with Trump, but that did not mean he was willing to alter Moscow’s demands.
On June 14, Putin laid out his conditions for ending the war: Ukraine would have to abandon its NATO ambitions and withdraw all its troops from the entire territory of four regions claimed by Russia.
Ukraine rejected that, saying it would amount to capitulation, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has presented a “victory plan” that includes requests for additional military support from the West.