Donald Trump wasted little time after his election victory before getting in touch with the leaders of the Ukraine-Russia war.
On Thursday, he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He had spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday.
According to reporting from The Washington Post, during his call with Putin, Trump “advised the Russian president not to escalate the war in Ukraine and reminded him of Washington’s sizable military presence in Europe, said a person familiar with the call….” They talked about peace in Europe and ending the war in Ukraine.
The talk seems to have had no immediate effect, as the warring nations exchanged a volley of drone attacks over the weekend that resulted in the shutting down of major airports in Moscow.
President elect-Trump has reportedly talked to several other world leaders since his election victory, about 70 of them.
Bypassing State
Trump is talking to world leaders without any involvement from the State Department. His team has not signed an agreement with the General Services Administration, which is standard during presidential transitions. His team’s reasoning seems justified.
“Trump and his aides are distrustful of career government officials following the leaked transcripts of presidential calls during his first term,” the Post reported.
At first, Russia was standoffish after Trump’s win, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling reporters that Putin had no plans to call the incoming president of “an unfriendly country that is directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state.” But by Thursday, Putin had congratulated Trump on his victory and praised his “manly” response to the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, saying he was ready to speak with him.
Unlike Biden, Trump has repeatedly said he wants to end the war. He has complained about its cost to the American taxpayer and the death toll it has taken on both countries.
If a deal is reached, experts say it will almost certainly include Ukraine’s coming away without Crimea, a notion Trump has expressed approval of.
