President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday and warned him to not to escalate the Ukraine war, a source familiar with the conversation said.
The call was the first between the two men since Trump won the 2024 Election. Trump held a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday, which tech mogul Elon Musk joined.
“Don’t escalate because I have weapons too,” Trump reportedly told Putin, according to Axios.
The Washington Post was the first to report of the call between Trump and Putin.
“We do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders,” said Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, in a statement.
While on the campaign trail, Trump has been vocal and critical about the size of U.S. military and financial support for Ukraine. He said he would end the war quickly once he gets into office but has never said how.
The U.S. has given billions of dollars in weapons and economic assistance to Ukraine, much of which Trump has been against. One more than one occasion, Trump has said Putin never would have invaded Ukraine if he had been president.
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that President Joe Biden will urge Trump to not to abandon Ukraine.
“President Biden will have the opportunity over the next 70 days to make the case to the Congress and to the incoming administration that the United States should not walk away from Ukraine, that walking away from Ukraine means more instability in Europe,” Sullivan said.
