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Trump called on Putin not to let the conflict escalate

President-elect Trump has criticized the level of U.S. military and financial support for Ukraine and promised to end the war quickly, without saying how.

Gram Slattery and Humeyra Pamuk
| Reuters

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – President-elect Donald Trump has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and advised him not to escalate the war in Ukraine, a source familiar with the conversation told Reuters on Sunday, while President Joe Biden told Trump wants to urge not to give up Kiev.

Trump and Putin have spoken in recent days, the source said. Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday. Trump criticized the level of U.S. military and financial support for Kiev and vowed to end the war quickly, without saying how.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said it was not informed in advance of the Trump-Putin phone call and could not subsequently endorse or object to it.

“We do not comment on private conversations between President Trump and other world leaders,” Trump communications director Steven Cheung said when asked about the call, first reported by The Washington Post.

The Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Republican Trump will take office on January 20th after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in the November 5th presidential election. Biden invited Trump to come to the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House said.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that Biden's main message will be his commitment to a peaceful transfer of power and that he will also discuss what is happening in Europe, Asia and the Middle East with Trump.

“President Biden will have the opportunity over the next 70 days to make the case to Congress and the new administration that the United States should not withdraw from Ukraine because withdrawing from Ukraine means more instability in Europe,” Sullivan told CBS news program “Face the Nation.”

Sullivan's comments came as Ukraine attacked Moscow with at least 34 drones on Sunday, the largest drone strike on the Russian capital since the war began. Asked whether Biden would ask Congress to pass legislation to authorize more funding for Ukraine, Sullivan pointed to the president.

“I am not here to present a specific legislative proposal. “President Biden will demonstrate that we need continued resources for Ukraine beyond the end of his term,” Sullivan said.

Financing Ukraine

Washington has provided tens of billions of dollars in U.S. military and economic aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022, funding that Trump has repeatedly criticized and rejected along with other Republican lawmakers.

Trump stressed last year that Putin would never have invaded Ukraine if he had been in the White House at the time. He told Reuters that Ukraine may have to cede territory to reach a peace deal, something Ukrainians reject and Biden has never suggested.

Zelensky said Thursday he did not know details of Trump's plan to quickly end the war in Ukraine and was convinced a quick end would bring major concessions for Kiev.

According to the Government Accountability Office, Congress under Biden has appropriated over $174 billion for Ukraine. The pace of aid is expected to slow under Trump as Republicans take control of the U.S. Senate with a 52-seat majority.

Control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the next Congress is unclear as some votes are still being counted. According to Edison Research, Republicans won 213 seats, just short of the 218 needed for a majority. If Republicans win both chambers, Trump's majority agenda will have a much easier time getting through Congress.

“Brave man”: Putin comments on Trump's victory, says he is ready to talk about Ukraine

Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty, a Trump ally who is considered a front-runner for secretary of state, criticized U.S. funding for Ukraine in a CBS interview.

“The American people want to protect sovereignty here in America before we spend our funds and resources protecting the sovereignty of another nation,” Hagerty said.

Ukraine's two-and-a-half-year-old war is nearing its final act, some officials say, after Moscow's troops advanced at the fastest pace since the war's early days. Any new attempt to end the war will likely require peace talks of some form, which have not taken place since the early months of the war.

Moscow's troops occupy around a fifth of Ukraine. Russia says the war cannot end until the annexations it claims are recognized. Kiev is reclaiming all of its territory, a position largely supported by Western allies.

Contributors: Humeyra Pamuk, Brendan O'Brien, Moira Warburton, Bill Berkrot and Diane Craft, Reuters

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