President-elect Donald Trump spoke directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Nov. 7, marking their first phone conversation since Trump’s election victory, sources familiar with the matter told the Washington Post.
During the call from Trump’s Florida resort, he advised Putin not to escalate the situation in Ukraine and highlighted Washington’s significant military presence in Europe, said one source familiar with the discussion. The sources requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic.
Trump and Putin discussed the importance of peace in Europe, with Trump expressing interest in continuing conversations aimed at “the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon,” according to several sources.
Throughout his campaign, Trump pledged to bring an immediate end to the war in Ukraine but did not elaborate on specific plans. Privately, Trump has indicated support for a potential deal allowing Russia to retain some occupied territory. During the call, he briefly touched on the issue of land, sources said.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban predicted during a Nov. 8 interview, “Americans will quit” the Ukraine war under Trump.
This previously unreported call took place amid widespread uncertainty about Trump’s approach to realigning U.S. relationships with global allies and adversaries after his election victory on Tuesday. On Thursday, Trump told NBC he had spoken with about 70 world leaders since winning the election, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with Elon Musk joining that call.
Ukraine’s government was informed of the conversation with Putin and did not object to it, according to two sources familiar with the situation. Ukrainian officials have recognized Trump’s intention to engage with Putin on a potential diplomatic solution, the sources noted.
Trump’s initial outreach to world leaders has taken place without support from the State Department or U.S. government interpreters. The Trump transition team has not signed an agreement with the General Services Administration, a standard step in presidential transitions. Due to concerns over leaked transcripts from Trump’s first term, Trump and his team remain wary of career government officials. “They are just calling him [Trump] directly,” said one source familiar with the calls.
