Kremlin denies reports of Trump-Putin conversation in Ukraine – US politics live | US News

The claims and counterclaims over the controversial call come amid concerns in Europe about Trump's actions toward Ukraine. This morning, British and French leaders will meet in Paris to observe the events of Armistice Day, but will also discuss the implications of Trump's victory.

My colleague Andrew Sparrow covers British political news and reports on the British Defense Secretary John Healey Downplaying the danger that Trump's re-election poses to Ukraine instead of talking about it.

I don't expect the USA to turn away from NATO. They recognize the importance of the alliance. They recognize the importance of avoiding further conflict in Europe.

Healey said U.S. support for NATO “goes back decades and has remained that way, including through the previous administration of President Trump.” He also said Trump was “rightly” pushing for European nations to spend more on defense.

Meanwhile, away from the controversial call, The race for a new Senate majority leader is heating up, with three Republicans vying for the spot. Senator Rick Scott of Florida has so far won the support of Trump's MAGA camp, including RFK Jr., Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk.

Donald Trump has yet to announce an endorsement himself, although he said Sunday he wanted a new leader to conduct “recess appointments,” a controversial method of quickly getting Cabinet members into office while navigating a lengthy Senate confirmation process to temporarily bypass.

Vladimir Putin has called for Ukraine to withdraw from parts of its eastern and southern territory as a prerequisite for peace talks, Agence France-Presse reports.

After Donald Trump's election, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that “no concessions” should be made to Putin.

Giving up land or giving in to another hardline demand from Moscow would only embolden the Kremlin and lead to more aggression, he said.

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.

You can read our report on the Kremlin's denial here:

On the campaign trail, Trump said he would find a solution to end the war in Ukraine “within a day,” but did not explain how he would accomplish that.

According to The Washington Post's report on the call, the US president-elect advised the Russian leader not to escalate the war in Ukraine and reminded him of “Washington's significant military presence in Europe.”

The Kremlin denies reports of talks between Trump and Putin over Ukraine

Good morning and welcome to our US politics blog, as the Kremlin rejects reports that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin discussed the Ukraine war in a phone call, dismissing it as “pure fiction.”

The Washington Post first reported that the phone call between the Russian leader and the US president-elect took place on Thursday.

On Monday morning, Reuters reported that Putin currently has no concrete plans to talk to Trump, according to his Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Here is our report on the controversial call: