Kremlin denies reports of Trump-Putin call over Ukraine

Reuters has more on the Kremlin’s denial that a Trump-Putin call took place.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

This is completely untrue. This is pure fiction, it’s just false information. There was no conversation. This is the most obvious example of the quality of the information that is being published now, sometimes even in fairly reputable publications.”

Key events

France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, has said the incoming US administration under Donald Trump should not be “pre-judged”. As we have been reporting, there is speculation that Trump may reduce military support to Kyiv in office, despite Ukrainian soldiers desperately needing weapons to fend off Russian attacks.

Trump has refused to elaborate when asked whether he thinks Zelenskyy should cede territory to Russia in negotiations to end the war, which he has characterised as a drag on American resources.

Stressing the need to continue to support Kyiv, Barrot said Ukraine should determine the timing and conditions for engaging in any negotiation process.

Barrot told the Paris Peace Forum:

Facing the speculation on what could be the positions or initiatives of the new US administration, I think that we absolutely should not prejudge and we have to give it (the administration) time…

Ukraine, and beyond that the international community, would have too much to lose if Russia imposed the law of the strongest.

Palais de Chaillot, 7e édition du Forum de Paris sur la Paix (#PPF2024). Dans le cadre du panel consacré à l’Ukraine, sous le thème : “L’avenir de l’Ukraine à la croisée des chemins.” – La France, par l’intermédiaire de Jean-Noël Barrot, ministre de l’Europe et des Affaires… pic.twitter.com/mJKrCsoFBQ

— Dworaczek-Bendome (@DworaczekBendom) November 11, 2024

During the presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly said he would end the war, but did not specify how. You can read more about how Trump might handle the war in Ukraine in this explainer.

France’s defence minister said on Sunday that Paris was sending a new batch of long-range missiles to Ukraine so it could strike behind Russian lines.

“President Volodymr Zelenskyy has met President-elect Donald Trump numerous times and I don’t doubt that a strong relationship will be established with the new administration,” Barrot said.

The claims and counter-claims over the disputed call come amid trepidation in Europe over Trump’s approach to Ukraine. This morning, the British and French leaders are meeting in Paris to observe Armistice Day events but will also be discussing the implications of Trump’s victory.

My colleague Andrew Sparrow is covering UK political news and reports on the UK defence secretary John Healey talking down the risk that Trump’s re-election poses to Ukraine rather than talking it up.

I don’t expect the US to turn away from Nato. They recognise the importance of the alliance. They recognise the importance of avoiding further conflict in Europe.

Healey said US support for Nato “goes back decades, and that has remained, including through the previous President Trump administration”. He also said Trump had “rightly” pushed for European nations to spend more on defence.

Meanwhile, away from the disputed call, the race for a new Senate majority leader is heating up, with three Republicans vying for the spot. Senator Rick Scott of Florida has so far won the support from Trump’s Maga camp, including from RFK Jr, Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk.

Donald Trump has yet to announce an endorsement himself, though he said on Sunday that he would want a new leader to conduct “recess appointments”, a controversial method of getting cabinet members into office quickly while temporarily sidestepping a lengthy Senate confirmation process.

Vladimir Putin has demanded Ukraine withdraw from swathes of its eastern and southern territory as a precondition to peace talks, Agence France-Presse reports.

Following Donald Trump’s election, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned there should be “no concessions” to Putin.

Ceding land or giving in to any of Moscow’s other hardline demands would only embolden the Kremlin and lead to more aggression, he said.

Washington has provided tens of billions of dollars worth of US military and economic aid to Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia in February 2022, funding that Trump has repeatedly criticised.

You can read our report on the Kremlin’s denial here:

During the election campaign, Trump said he would find a solution to end the Ukraine war “within a day”, but did not explain how he would do so.

According to the Washington Post’s report of the call the US president-elect advised the Russian leader not to escalate the war in Ukraine and reminded him of “Washington’s sizeable military presence in Europe”.