Donald Trump advised Vladimir Putin not to escalate in Ukraine: report

Donald Trump has reportedly reminded Vladimir Putin of America's sizeable military presence in Europe. Photo / AFP

• Donald Trump spoke to Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine, advising against escalation.
• Trump also suggested further discussions for a solution and spoke to Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday.
• Putin is ready to discuss Ukraine, but maintains Moscow’s demands, which Ukraine has rejected.

United States President-elect Donald Trump spoke by phone to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday NZT and discussed the war in Ukraine, the Washington Post reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Trump advised Putin not to escalate the war in Ukraine and reminded him of “Washington’s sizeable military presence in Europe”, the Post reported.

During the US election campaign, Trump said he would find a solution to end the war “within a day”, but did not explain how he would do so.

Trump reportedly suggested further discussions to talk about a solution to the war. The Ukrainian Government was informed about the conversation and reportedly had no objections, the Washington Post wrote.

Trump also spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, according to media reports.

On Saturday, the Kremlin said Putin was ready to discuss Ukraine with Trump but that did not mean that he was willing to alter Moscow’s demands.

On June 14, Putin set out his terms for an end to the war: Ukraine would have to drop its Nato ambitions and withdraw all of its troops from all of the territory of four regions claimed by Russia.

Ukraine rejected that, saying it would be tantamount to capitulation, and Zelenskyy has put forward a “victory plan” that includes requests for additional military support from the West.

US President Joe Biden and Ukraine fear that under Trump, US military aid to Ukraine might dry up, which is crucial for countering the Russian invasion.

There has been radio silence between Biden and Putin since Russia’s all-out attack on Ukraine in February 2022.

According to an unconfirmed report in the Wall Street Journal, Trump as a former US President has reportedly spoken with Putin multiple times in recent years.

Trump is due to be inaugurated for a second term as US President on January 20.