US President-elect Donald Trump has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged him not to escalate the war in Ukraine, the Washington Post reports.
Trump spoke with Putin from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Thursday, just days after his stunning election victory over Democratic rival Kamala Harris, the report said.
The Post, citing several people familiar with the conversation who spoke on condition of anonymity, reported that Trump reminded Putin of the significant U.S. military presence in Europe.
They said he also expressed interest in further talks to discuss "the near-term resolution of the war in Ukraine."
Trump's election could change the nearly three-year-old conflict in Ukraine as he pushes for a quick end to the fighting and questions Washington's multibillion-dollar support for Kiev.
Earlier, Russian state media hailed Trump's victory, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying, "The signals are positive... At least he is talking about peace, not confrontation."
Earlier this week, Putin himself praised Trump for his "courage" after the assassination attempt against him in July and said he was "ready" to hold talks.
During his election campaign, Trump repeatedly promised to end the war in Ukraine quickly - even before he was sworn in on January 20 - but never said how he might do so.
Any quick deal is expected to require Kiev to cede some of the territory it has lost to Russian invaders in southern and eastern Ukraine.
Despite facing labor shortages and uncertainty about U.S. support, Kiev is firmly opposed to such a deal. President Volodymyr Zelensky has said ceding land or meeting other hardline demands would only embolden the Kremlin and provoke more aggression.
People familiar with the conversation said Trump had briefly raised the land issue.
In recent months, both sides in the war have taken steps seen as possible efforts to gain influence ahead of possible negotiations, with Ukraine seizing some Russian territory and Moscow's troops advancing into Ukraine.
This weekend, both sides carried out their largest-ever drone attacks.
Russia fired 145 drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, and Russia said it shot down 34 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow. | BGNES
