Donald Trump didn’t warn Ukraine about Putin call: Kyiv

Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said President-elect Donald Trump did not warn the country about his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Reuters reported.

Following his victory in the U.S. presidential election, Trump spoke with Putin in a postelection call on November 7 about the Russia-Ukraine war, telling the Russian leader not to escalate the conflict.

Commenting on reports that Ukraine had been notified about the call, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi told Reuters: “Reports that the Ukrainian side was informed in advance of the alleged call are false. Subsequently, Ukraine could not have endorsed or opposed the call.”

On his call with Putin, Trump—who was at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida—reminded the Russian president of “Washington’s sizeable military presence in Europe,” The Washington Post reported, and the president-elect planned to have a follow-up conversation to discuss a “resolution of Ukraine’s war.”

Newsweek contacted Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment via email and the Trump campaign outside normal business hours.

Trump and Putin also reportedly discussed the idea of peace at large on the European continent.

When asked for comment about the call, Steven Cheung, Trump’s spokesperson, previously told Newsweek, “We do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders.”

On November 6, Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a call that tech billionaire and Trump supporter Elon Musk reportedly joined.

In the 25-minute phone call, Trump and Zelensky discussed the war in Ukraine. The president-elect reportedly expressed support for Kyiv, and Musk said he would continue aiding the war-torn country through his Starlink satellite internet service.

Musk’s Starlink has allowed Ukrainians to communicate during the almost three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The Ukrainian president also congratulated Trump on the call and on social media.

On X, formerly Twitter, Zelensky wrote: “Congratulations to @realDonaldTrump on his impressive election victory! I recall our great meeting with President Trump back in September, when we discussed in detail the Ukraine-U.S. strategic partnership, the Victory Plan, and ways to put an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine.”

He added: “I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs. This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer. I am hopeful that we will put it into action together.”

Putin also congratulated Trump, saying, “I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election as president of the United States of America.”

He added that what Trump has said “about the desire to restore relations with Russia, to help end the Ukrainian crisis, in my opinion, deserves attention at least.”

During his presidential campaign, Trump spoke at length about the war in Ukraine, saying he could end the yearslong conflict “within 24 hours.”