Russia refuse reports of Trump call urging restraint in Ukraine

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The Kremlin has dismissed media reports claiming that Donald Trump had a phone call with Vladimir Putin, during which the U.S. president-elect allegedly cautioned the Russian leader against intensifying the conflict in Ukraine.

The Washington Post first reported on Sunday that the call allegedly took place on Thursday, with Trump reportedly referencing America’s “sizeable military presence in Europe” in his discussion with Putin.

When asked for confirmation, Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, told the BBC: “We do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders.”

However, he did confirm that world leaders have started reaching out to the president-elect.

Russia’s denial comes just days after both Russia and Ukraine conducted their largest drone strikes since the onset of the war.

According to Russia’s defense ministry, it intercepted 84 Ukrainian drones over six regions, including some near Moscow, forcing flight diversions from three of the capital’s major airports.

Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 145 drones across the country on Saturday night, with most of them intercepted.

On Monday, Russian airstrikes killed at least six people and injured 21 others in Ukraine, with five fatalities in Mykolaiv and one in Zaporizhzhia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that at least seven people, including two children, were injured when a missile struck an apartment block in his hometown of Kryvyi Rih.

Meanwhile, Russia claimed to have destroyed 13 Ukrainian drones near the western regions of Kursk and Belgorod, reporting no casualties.

“Every day, every night, Russia unleashes the same terror,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter following Monday’s strike.

“More and more civilian sites are being targeted. Russia only wants to continue the war, and each of its strikes negates any claims of diplomacy from Russia.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for “stronger global support” and additional weapons to counter Russian aggression.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to end the conflict but has yet to reveal his approach.

Since his election victory last week, Trump has spoken with Zelensky in a conversation lasting about 30 minutes, according to a source cited by the BBC.

Zelensky has previously emphasized that ceding land to Russia is not an option and warned that without U.S. support, Ukraine would be at risk of losing the war.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov remarked to Russian state media on Sunday about “positive” signals from the incoming U.S. administration, though some believe Trump will maintain support for Ukraine.

Among them is UK Defence Secretary John Healey, who expressed confidence that the U.S. will continue to stand with allies like the UK to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes to prevail over Putin’s invasion.”

Reports of Russian advances in Ukraine persist, with Russia’s defense ministry announcing on Monday that its forces captured the village of Kolisnykivka in the Kharkiv region.

According to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War, Russia’s territorial gains in October were the largest since March 2022.