Trump urges Putin for peace amidst Europe's tensions
The president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, had a phone conversation with Vladimir Putin on Sunday, as reported by "The Washington Post." The topic of the talks was "the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon." Earlier, the incoming U.S. leader spoke with Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to a person familiar with the conversation, cited by the newspaper, Donald Trump "advised the Russian president not to escalate the war in Ukraine and reminded him of Washington’s sizable military presence in Europe."
The source from "The Washington Post" added that the president-elect and the Russian leader discussed achieving peace in Europe. Trump also expressed interest in another discussion to end the war in Ukraine promptly.
The newspaper notes that the Ukrainian government was informed about the conversation and "did not object" to its occurrence.
Earlier Trump-Musk-Zelensky conversation
On Wednesday, before the conversation between Trump and Putin, the president-elect had a phone conversation with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, which also involved billionaire Elon Musk, as reported by the Axios portal.
The portal claims that during the conversation, Trump mentioned he would support Ukraine, although he did not provide details. According to Zelensky, the conversation went well and did not heighten his concerns over the Democrats losing the presidency. One of the Axios sources stated that the conversation "didn't leave Zelensky with a feeling of despair."
Why was Musk involved in the conversation? Axios reports that the billionaire assured the president of Ukraine that he would continue to support through his Starlink satellites.
Trump's public statements during the election campaign—promises of a quick end to the war, reluctance to disclose whether he favours victory for Russia or Ukraine, and criticism of the substantial aid packages flowing to Kyiv from Washington—raised concern throughout Europe — reminded the American portal, noting that outgoing President Joe Biden's administration is currently seeking ways to provide Ukraine with as much military aid as possible before January 20, when Trump could take office and potentially cut off the flow of funds.
