Trump Gives Putin an Ominous Warning in Post-Election Phone Call: Report

A recent report suggests that President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, cautioning him against taking further action in Ukraine.

The Washington Post reported that Trump referenced the U.S. military presence in Europe as a deterrent, urging Putin not to intensify the conflict. The sources of the report were unnamed, with the Post citing individuals "familiar with the call."

Axios summarized Trump's message as, “Don’t escalate because I have weapons, too.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov disputed the report, saying, “There was no conversation.” He further added, “This is completely untrue. This is pure fiction,” according to Newsweek.

Trump has previously stated his intention to end the Russia-Ukraine war, which began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Post indicated that Trump and Putin discussed peace efforts and that Trump aimed to soon engage in talks regarding “the resolution of Ukraine’s war.” Ukraine was reportedly informed of this conversation.

The report also highlighted that Trump is contacting foreign leaders independently, without coordination through the State Department or official U.S. interpreters.

“They are just calling [Trump] directly,” the Post quoted an unnamed source as saying.

After Trump’s landslide victory, Peskov had initially commented that Putin would avoid contacting the leader of “an unfriendly country that is directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state.”

On Thursday, however, Putin praised Trump’s “manly” response to recent events and expressed willingness to speak with him.

“Trump talked during his campaign about how he sees everything through deals, that he can make a deal that will lead everyone to peace. At least he talks about peace, not about confrontation and the desire to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia,” Peskov stated.

Peskov noted that “Trump is less predictable, and also [it] is less predictable to what extent Trump will stick to the statements he made during the election campaign. Let’s wait and see.”

Trump’s representative, Steven Cheung, declined to comment on Trump’s discussions with global leaders, as reported by Axios. Trump has said he has communicated with approximately 70 world leaders since his election victory.

“President Trump won a historic election decisively, and leaders from around the world know America will return to prominence on the world stage,” Cheung said, according to the Post.

“That is why leaders have begun the process of developing stronger relationships with the 45th and 47th President because he represents global peace and stability,” he added.