Donald Trump spoke to Putin, told him not to escalate war in Ukraine: Report

US President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin over a call on November 7, just two days after winning the presidential elections, The Washington Post reported.

Trump took the call from his resort in Florida, and advised Putin not to escalate the war in Ukraine. He also reminded Putin of Washington’s sizeable military presence in Europe, according to the report.

Notably, Putin congratulated Trump on his election victory on Thursday and said that he was ready to speak with him, emphasising the need to restore US-Russia relations and work toward ending the war in Ukraine.

“Don’t think it’s wrong to hold a call with Trump. If some world’s leaders seek to restore contacts, I’m not against it. We are ready to speak to Trump,” Putin said.

The Russian President further said that what Trump has said “about the desire to restore relations with Russia, to help end the Ukrainian crisis, in my opinion, deserves attention at least”.

Putin added that he was impressed with how Trump handled himself in the moments after an assassination attempt in July, describing Trump as a “brave man”.

Meanwhile, Trump also had a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on November 8 and assured Zelenskyy of his support for Ukraine, but did not specify his approach.

During the conversation, Zelenskyy congratulated Trump for his victory in the US presidential elections.

Notably, tech billionaire Elon Musk also joined the call with Zelenskyy, who reported told Zelenskyy that he would continue to provide a Starlink satellite internet connection to Ukraine.

In an official statement, Zelenskyy said that he praised Trump and his team for their tremendous campaign.

“We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation. Strong and unwavering US leadership is vital for the world and for a just peace,” he said.