US President-elect Donald Trump has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged him not to escalate the war in Ukraine, the Washington Post reported on Sunday.
Trump spoke with Putin from his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida on Thursday after his surprise election victory over Democratic rival Kamala Harris, the report said.
Representatives for the president-elect did not immediately respond when AFP sought comment.
The Post, citing several people familiar with the call who spoke on condition of anonymity, reported that Trump reminded Putin of America’s large military presence in Europe.
He was also said to have expressed an interest in further talks to discuss “a solution to the war in Ukraine soon”.
Trump’s election is seen as having the potential to upend the nearly three-year conflict in Ukraine, as he calls for a swift end to the fighting and calls into question Washington’s multibillion-dollar aid to Kyiv.
Russian state media earlier welcomed Trump’s victory, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying: “The signs are positive… At least he is talking about peace and not confrontation.”
Earlier this week, Putin himself praised Trump for being “courageous” after the attempt on his life in July and said he was “ready” for talks.
During his campaign, Trump repeatedly vowed to quickly end the war in Ukraine — even before taking the oath of office on January 20 — but he has never said how he might do it.
Any quick deal requires Kyiv to cede some territory lost to Russian invaders in southern and eastern Ukraine.
Kiev, despite labor shortages and uncertainty over US aid, has staunchly opposed the deal. President Volodymyr Zelensky has said giving up the land or meeting other tough demands would embolden the Kremlin and lead to further attacks.
People familiar with Thursday’s call said Trump briefly raised the land issue.
In recent months, both sides in the war have made what they consider useful efforts ahead of the negotiations, with Ukraine annexing a chunk of Russian territory and Moscow’s troops making inroads into Ukraine.
This weekend brought the biggest drone attacks yet from both sides.
Russia fired 145 drones into Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, and Russia said on Sunday it shot down 34 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow.
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