According to Reuters, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump recently held discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressing a desire not to escalate the conflict in Ukraine. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden is reportedly planning to urge Trump to maintain U.S. support for Ukraine.
The report noted that Trump’s conversation with Putin occurred in recent days. The Republican leader also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday. During his presidential campaign, Trump had criticized the extensive U.S. military and financial aid provided to Kyiv.
When asked about the call between Trump and Putin, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said they had no prior knowledge of the exchange and declined to either oppose or support it.
When asked about the phone call, first reported by The Washington Post, Trump administration communications director Steven Cheung stated, “We do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders.”
President-elect Trump, set to take office on January 20 after defeating Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, has been invited to the White House by President Biden for a meeting on Wednesday.
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated that President Biden’s main message during his discussions with Trump will focus on ensuring a peaceful transfer of power and addressing the geopolitical landscape in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
In an interview with CBS News, Sullivan said, “President Biden will have the opportunity over the next 70 days to make the case to Congress and the incoming administration that the United States should not abandon Ukraine; that doing so would lead to greater instability in Europe,” according to Reuters.
Reports indicate that President Biden aims to rally Trump’s support for Kyiv, though it remains to be seen how the Trump administration will approach conflicts across the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war.
