President-elect Trump’s transition team would not confirm or deny that the 2024 election victor told Russian President Vladimir Putin not to escalate the war with Ukraine during a call last week.
The Washington Post reported that Putin and Trump spoke on Thursday, marking the first conversation between the two leaders since Trump won his way back into the Oval Office last Tuesday.
Trump reportedly took the call from Florida and advised Putin to not escalate the war in Ukraine. The president-elect also reminded Russia’s president about the amount of U.S. military in Europe, a person familiar with the call who spoke on anonymity told the publication.
Additionally, the two men talked about peace being the goal in Europe, while Trump also expressed a desire for further talks on “the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon,” several sources told The Post.
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Trump’s transition team said it would not comment on private calls between President-elect Trump and other world leaders in response to the Washington Post’s story that Trump told Putin not to escalate his war with Ukraine. (GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
When asked by Fox News for comment about the report, Trump’s team released the following statement:
“We do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders,” Trump communication’s director, Steven Cheung, said in a statement. “President Trump won a historic election decisively and leaders from around the world know America will return to prominence on the world stage. That is why leaders have begun the process of developing stronger relationships with the 45th and 47th President because he represents global peace and stability.”
The statement comes just two days after a senior Ukrainian official confirmed to Fox News that billionaire Elon Musk joined a call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday.
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President-elect Donald Trump arrives to speak during an election night event in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Nov. 6, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Musk’s unexpected appearance during the first official conversation between Trump and Zelenskyy may point to the SpaceX CEO’s influence on the incoming Trump administration.
“I had an excellent call with President Trump and congratulated him on his historic landslide victory — his tremendous campaign made this result possible,” Zelenskyy posted on X.
Details of Musk’s exact role were not disclosed, according to reporting from Axios, though sources reported Musk expressed his intent to continue supporting Ukraine through his Starlink satellite network, a service critical to Ukraine’s wartime communications.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Christoph Soeder/Pool via AP/File)
Throughout his campaign, Trump voiced skepticism about continued U.S. aid to Ukraine and emphasized a fast resolution to its conflict with Russia, which raised concerns across Europe.
Trump assured Zelenskyy of support on the 25-minute call, but he did not provide specifics on either policies or military aid. Axios first reported Musk’s presence on the call, and Musk has not yet commented.
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The phone call is expected to be the first of many between Trump’s team and Zelenskyy’s advisers as both sides navigate America’s involvement in the ongoing conflict.
Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr and Fox News’ Sarah Tobianski contributed to this report.
