WEST PALM BEACH, Florida/WASHINGTON, Nov 10 (Reuters)– U.S. President-elect Donald Trump recently spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him not to escalate the war in Ukraine, a source familiar with the conversation told Reuters on Sunday. The call, which took place in the past several days, comes as President Joe Biden plans to meet with Trump to emphasize the importance of continued U.S. support for Ukraine.

According to the source, Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy spoke on Wednesday, but Trump has been openly critical of the scope of U.S. military and financial assistance to Ukraine. He has promised to quickly end the war but has not outlined a clear strategy for doing so.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry confirmed it was not notified about the Trump-Putin conversation beforehand and therefore could neither endorse nor object to it. Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, declined to comment on the private call between the two leaders, which was first reported by *The Washington Post*. The Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump, the Republican president-elect, is set to assume office on January 20, following his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the November 5 election. The White House announced that President Biden has invited Trump to the Oval Office on Wednesday for a transition meeting.
During the meeting, Biden’s top national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the president will focus on ensuring a peaceful transfer of power. Biden will also discuss ongoing challenges in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, with a specific emphasis on the war in Ukraine.
“We have 70 days to make the case to Congress and the incoming administration that the United States should not walk away from Ukraine. Abandoning Ukraine would lead to greater instability in Europe,” Sullivan said in an interview on CBS News’ Face the Nation
Sullivan’s remarks came amid a significant escalation in the war. On Sunday, Ukrainian forces launched at least 34 drones at Moscow in the largest drone strike on the Russian capital since the war began.
Biden’s Position on Ukraine Aid
Biden’s administration has provided tens of billions of dollars in military and economic aid to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. However, Trump has repeatedly criticized this aid, questioning its scale and prioritizing U.S. interests instead. He has suggested that the war could have been avoided if he had been in office and has floated the idea of Ukraine conceding territory in exchange for peace, a proposal that Kyiv rejects and Biden has not supported.
Zelenskiy, in a recent statement, expressed skepticism about Trump’s proposal to end the war quickly. He said that a rapid end to the conflict would likely involve major concessions from Ukraine, which would not be acceptable to his government.
Trump’s criticism of U.S. support for Ukraine resonates with many Republicans, including Senator Bill Hagerty, a Trump ally. Hagerty, who is considered a top contender for Secretary of State, told *CBS News* that U.S. funds should be focused on protecting American sovereignty first. “The American people want to protect their own sovereignty before spending resources protecting another nation’s sovereignty,” he said.
Impact of the War and the Shift in U.S. Politics
As the war enters its third year, there are signs that Russia’s forces have gained ground, advancing at their fastest pace since the early days of the conflict. Moscow currently controls roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, and Russian officials have said the war will not end until their annexations are internationally recognized. Meanwhile, Ukraine insists on reclaiming all of its occupied territory, a stance that has been backed by most Western allies.
The shift in U.S. politics, with Republicans set to control the Senate in the next Congress and possibly the House, suggests that future U.S. support for Ukraine may be more limited. The Republican-controlled Senate, with a 52-seat majority, is likely to be less inclined toward continued large-scale military and financial assistance for Kyiv.
Congress has already appropriated more than $174 billion for Ukraine under Biden’s administration, according to the Government Accountability Office. While Biden has not yet signaled any specific proposals for new legislation to support Ukraine, Sullivan noted that the president will make the case for ongoing resources to continue beyond his term.
As the U.S. prepares for the transition of power in January, the future of U.S. policy toward Ukraine will be a critical point of discussion, with significant implications for both the war in Ukraine and international stability.
Source: Reuters.