On Nov. 7, newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump held a telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin, and notably, the Ukrainian side says it was not informed in advance of this discussion.
According to The Washington Post, Trump is said to have “advised” Putin not to “escalate” the war in Ukraine and also reminded him of the significant U.S. military presence in Europe.
“The two politicians discussed peace on the European continent, and Trump expressed interest in further talks to discuss a ‘quick resolution to the war in Ukraine,'” the article reads.
According to the publication, Kyiv knew about Trump’s conversation with Putin and did not express any objections.
“During the presidential campaign, Trump said he would immediately end the war in Ukraine, although he did not provide details on how he intended to do so. Privately, he has indicated that he would support a deal in which Russia retains some of the territory it has seized, and during the conversation, he briefly touched on the land issue,” the article reads.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that reports that Kyiv was informed in advance about the telephone conversation between the U.S. president-elect and the Russian president are not true.
“Reports that the Ukrainian side was informed about the conversation in advance are false. Therefore, Ukraine could neither approve nor oppose the event,” a foreign ministry official told Reuters.
“Returning Crimea to Ukraine is not the goal of the United States, Crimea no longer exists,” said Bryan Lanza, an advisor to Donald Trump.
Lanza told the BBC that the administration of new U.S. President Donald Trump will ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to formulate a “realistic vision of the world.” He added that the Trump camp is focused on achieving peace in Ukraine, not on regaining territories occupied by Russian troops.
“If President Zelensky sits down at the negotiating table and states that peace will only be possible after the return of Crimea to Ukraine, it will show that he is not in the mood for serious dialogue,” the Republican said.
