Moscow has denied reports that Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump had a phone call about Ukraine, slamming the claims as “completely untrue and pure fiction”.
In the call, the pair reportedly discussed peace in Europe, and the US president-elect is said to have told the Russian leader to refrain from escalating the conflict.
A person familiar with the call told The Washington Post that Trump reminded Putin of the US’s significant military presence in Europe during the phone conversation.
Both discussed the prospect of a further call soon to look into the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine, the sources claim.
Kremlin slammed the reports
ReutersHowever, the Kremlin has slammed the claims and stated that the call never happened.
“This is completely untrue. This is pure fiction, it's just false information,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “There was no conversation.”
“This is the most obvious example of the quality of the information that is being published now, sometimes even in fairly reputable publications,” Peskov said.
He added that the Russian president has no plans to speak to Trump.
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Trump has previously praised PutinGettyThe reported call took place on Thursday, with Putin ringing the newly elected President at his Mar-a-Lago resort to congratulate him on his win.
Reuters news agency also said the call took place, citing sources who were not authorised to reveal their identities to the press.
Trump said he would bring an immediate end to the war in Ukraine throughout the campaign trail.
Trump told Putin not to forget the sizeable US military presence in EuropeREUTERSHe also pledged to GB News that Putin would “never” have invaded his next-door neighbour under his presidency.
The president-elect has also spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky - calling the embattled leader the day before reportedly speaking to Putin.
Zelensky - parts of whose forces still sit inside Russia, even months after a shocking incursion - has rejected Putin's terms.
He says accepting them would be tantamount to capitulation, and has put forward a "victory plan" which includes requests for additional military support from the West.
