When asked whether there were plans to contact Putin and Trump, Peskov replied: “There are no concrete plans yet.” The Kremlin refrained from offering official congratulations immediately after Trump won the US election.
But Putin made up for it days later. “And I take the opportunity to congratulate him,” Putin said on Thursday at a discussion event in Sochi in response to a question about his view of the result of the US election. In principle, he was ready to resume contact, said Putin, who noted that he would not take the initiative and not call Trump.
Reuters/Maxim Shipenkov
“No comment” from Trump
The Washington Post, among others, reported a phone call between Trump and Putin on Thursday, citing unnamed sources. According to the newspaper, Trump recommended to Putin not to escalate the war of aggression against Ukraine. Reuters also reported on the call, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.
There was no information about this from Trump himself. His spokesman Steven Cheung said he “does not comment on private conversations between President Trump and other world leaders,” according to AFP. Russia has repeatedly shown itself open to talks with Trump about a solution to the conflict in Ukraine. US President Joe Biden and Ukraine fear that under Trump US military aid to Ukraine, thanks to which the Russian invasion can be repelled, could dry up.
debate
What are the consequences of the result?
Quick solution promised for Ukraine
Trump won the presidential election with a clear majority on Tuesday. During the election campaign, he assured that he could end the Ukraine war within 24 hours, possibly before he took office on January 20th. However, he never explained how he planned to accomplish this. At the same time, Trump resolutely opposed the continued support of Ukraine with billions of dollars from the USA.
The quick solution promised by Trump could mean that Ukraine would have to cede part of its territory to Russia. Moscow even calls the cession of large areas of Ukraine to Russia a prerequisite for peace negotiations, but the government in Kiev has firmly rejected this.
In an interview with Russian state media on Sunday, Peskov spoke of “positive signals” from the future US president. “At least he talks about peace and not confrontation. He doesn’t talk about his desire to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia – that’s what distinguishes him from the current government.”
The USA has so far been a key supporter of Ukraine
Under Biden, the US is currently Ukraine’s main supporter in the war started by Russia in February 2022. Recently, however, the country has come under increasing pressure due to the loss of territory to Russia and a shortage of armaments and soldiers.
On Sunday, Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the White House is aiming to “put Ukraine in the best possible position on the battlefield so that ultimately it is in the best possible position at the negotiating table.” This also includes the use of the remaining six billion US dollars (around 5.6 billion euros) in funds that have already been approved for aid to Ukraine.
Borrell: Peace “must be just and lasting”
During a visit to the Chernihiv region in northern Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell demanded that Russia pay compensation and that Russian war crimes be punished. “Peace, so that it is a peace and not just a ceasefire, must be just and lasting,” said Borrell: “This is a warning to those who say that this war should stop and therefore we should end it as quickly as possible “It’s supposed to, pretty much no matter how.”
