U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has reportedly advised Russian President Vladimir Putin not to intensify the war in Ukraine and reminded him of Washington’s sizable military presence in Europe.
According to inside information from The Washington Post, Trump, who defeated Vice President Kamala Harris at the U.S. presidential election last week, spoke to Putin on the phone in recent days, and the two men discussed the goal of peace on the European continent. Trump expressed an interest in follow-up conversations to discuss “the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon.” The Kremlin has denied the phone call took place.
Trump had previously vowed to end the war as soon as possible, once he entered the White House, criticising the current Democratic Joe Biden-led administration for continuing to fund the war.
The Republican Party, which has questioned the necessity of U.S. involvement in Ukraine, has regained control of the Senate after the elections last week and is on course to do the same in the House of Representatives, which means Trump will face fewer obstacles in his attempts to pass legislation regarding Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East.
Republican U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty, a Trump ally, said, “The American people want sovereignty protected here in America before we spend our funds and resources protecting the sovereignty of another nation.”
The United States has provided Ukraine with €84.7 billion of aid since the beginning of Russia’s invasion in February 2022—€56.8 billion of that money has been military assistance.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who on Sunday spoke to Russian state TV channel Rossiya, “at least he [Trump] talks about peace, not about confrontation and the desire to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia.”
Though Trump has not specifically said how he intends to bring about peace, he has hinted that Ukraine would have to make some sort of compromise—perhaps giving up some of its territory that is currently under Russian occupation. Russia currently controls about a fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea, which it annexed ten years ago.
Russian forces are making slow but steady advances in eastern Ukraine, and Kyiv relies on Western weapons and ammunition to sustain its defensive capabilities.
Following Trump’s re-election, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged his Western allies to keep supporting his country, but stressed that his government would not be making any concessions to Russia, as that would be “unacceptable for Ukraine and suicide for all of Europe.”
Europe has so far given a total of €118.2 billion of aid to Ukraine and has vowed to spend another €74.1 billion.
Outgoing EU foreign chief Josep Borrell said on Sunday that the 27-member bloc would continue to support Ukraine. “This support remains unwavering. This support is absolutely needed for you to continue defending yourself against Russia’s aggression,” Borrell said during a joint news conference with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister in Kyiv.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were also meeting on Monday to discuss ways to help Ukraine.
Some European states are wary that the return of Trump will bring about a more isolationist, non-interventionist U.S. foreign policy, meaning Ukraine’s European allies will have to bear most of the brunt of supporting Kyiv. It also means that NATO’s European members must spend more on their own defence instead of relying on U.S. protection—something Trump urged them to do during his previous presidency.
However, outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden will try to persuade his successor that “the United States should not walk away from Ukraine, that walking away from Ukraine means more instability in Europe,” U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CBS News.
