On Monday, Russia officially denied that there was any phone call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump on November 7, following Trump's decisive victory in the November 5 elections. During a press briefing, Dmitri Peskov, spokesperson for the Russian presidency, dismissed a report published by The Washington Post, which claimed that Trump had already spoken to Putin and advised against further escalation in the Ukraine conflict.
"No such conversation took place," Peskov asserted in response to journalists' persistent inquiries. Despite this denial, the exclusive report from The Washington Post suggested that Trump had warned Putin about the significant presence of U.S. troops in Europe and emphasized the importance of monitoring the conflict's progression with the aim of ending it as soon as possible.
Peskov acknowledged that Trump's statement about wanting to rebuild relations with Russia deserves at least some consideration. However, he described Trump's pledge to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours as "an exaggeration."
According to The Washington Post, Ukraine was allegedly aware of the supposed conversation between Putin and Trump and did not oppose it. Meanwhile, the Biden administration is planning to approve a $6 billion arms aid package for Ukraine before Trump potentially returns to the White House, given the president-elect's reluctance to continue supporting Zelenskiy.
Initially, Putin was not planning to congratulate Trump on his victory, unlike Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who did so immediately after the November 5 election results. However, Putin eventually extended his congratulations to Trump, describing him as a courageous man, especially in light of his response to the Pennsylvania incident. Putin also expressed openness to future communications.