Kremlin denies reports of Trump-Putin call on Ukraine as ‘pure fiction’

“It is completely untrue. It is pure fiction; it is simply false information,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said when asked about the supposed conversation. “There was no conversation.”

“This is a prime example of the quality of information being published nowadays, even sometimes in reputable publications,” he added.

Peskov stated that Putin had no immediate plans to speak with Trump.

According to the Washington Post, Trump reportedly reminded Putin of the US’s substantial military presence in Europe and expressed interest in further discussions on “resolving the war in Ukraine soon.”

The report emerged after Putin had congratulated Trump on his election victory on Thursday, expressing respect for Trump’s reaction to an assassination attempt during his campaign.

Peskov, known for previously dismissing reports that were later substantiated, recently labelled claims of North Korean soldiers in Russia as “fake news,” despite credible audio and visual evidence to the contrary. However, the Kremlin’s swift rejection of this alleged call is likely to raise questions, especially as both leaders have indicated openness to dialogue in the past.

Trump’s team has not confirmed any call with Putin. When approached by Fox News about the Washington Post’s report, Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, stated, “We do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders.”

On Monday, Peskov also criticised European leaders for continuing to pursue a “strategic defeat” of Russia. He was responding to a question about the possibility of the UK allowing Ukraine to use Storm Shadow long-range missile systems against Russian targets.

The Kremlin has consistently stated that Putin is open to discussing Ukraine with the West, though this does not imply any shift in Moscow’s demands.

On 14 June, Putin outlined a maximalist position for ending the war, insisting that Ukraine must abandon its ambitions to join NATO and withdraw all troops from territories within four regions claimed by Russia.

During his campaign, Trump asserted that he could broker a resolution to the war “within a day” but did not provide details on how he would achieve this. Reports indicate he also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday. Zelenskyy later confirmed the conversation, describing it as an “excellent call.”