Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied recent reports claiming he spoke with Donald Trump after Trump’s election victory.
The alleged phone call, first reported by The Washington Post and later by Reuters, suggested that Trump had advised Putin not to escalate the conflict in Ukraine and highlighted the significant U.S. military presence in Europe.
However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed these claims, stating: “This is completely untrue.
It’s pure fiction, just false information. There was no conversation.” Peskov criticized the reports as an example of unreliable information published by even reputable outlets.
When asked if there were any plans for future discussions between Putin and Trump, Peskov responded: “There are no concrete plans yet.” Despite denying the phone call, Putin did publicly congratulate Trump after his election win and praised his bravery during a recent assassination attempt. He also expressed Moscow’s willingness to engage in dialogue with the new Republican president-elect.
Meanwhile, Russia has been cautioning the U.S. and its allies against allowing Ukraine to use Western-supplied missiles to strike deep into Russian territory, warning this would be seen as a major escalation.
Putin previously stated that such actions would amount to “direct involvement” of NATO countries, including the U.S. and Europe, in the Ukraine conflict due to the necessity of NATO infrastructure and personnel in missile targeting.
The Kremlin noted that while European powers might be uneasy about Trump’s election, they continue to supply weapons to Ukraine.
In response to reports that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are lobbying U.S. President Joe Biden to permit Ukraine to deploy Storm Shadow missiles into Russia, Peskov remarked, “Nothing can be ruled out.”
He added that European leaders seem intent on inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.
Peskov reiterated Russia’s commitment to its “special military operation” (SMO) in Ukraine, stating: “We will continue until all our objectives are met. The military understands the dynamics of the SMO well, and no single type of weapon can alter this dynamic at this stage.”
