WEST PALM BEACH/WASHINGTON: The Kremlin dismissed on Monday reports that US President-elect Donald Trump had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent days as “pure fiction.” A source told Reuters on Sunday that Trump, who has criticized the scale of US military and financial support for Kyiv and said he will end the war quickly, had spoken to Putin in recent days. The source told Reuters they were familiar with the conversation, first reported by The Washington Post, which cited unidentified sources as saying Trump had told Putin that he should not escalate the Ukraine war.

In an unusual move, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday no such call had taken place between Putin and Trump. “This is completely untrue. This is pure fiction, it’s just false information,” he told reporters. “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,” he said.

Asked whether Putin had plans for any contacts with Trump, Peskov said: “There are no concrete plans yet.” Trump spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last Wednesday. Asked about the purported Trump-Putin call, Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, said: “We do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders.”

Republican Trump will take office on January 20 after winning the November 5 presidential election. Biden has invited Trump to the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House said. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday Biden’s top message would be his commitment to ensure a peaceful transfer of power, and he will also talk to Trump about what’s happening in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

“President Biden will have the opportunity over the next 70 days to make the case to the Congress and to the incoming administration that the United States should not walk away from Ukraine, that walking away from Ukraine means more instability in Europe,” Sullivan told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” show. Sullivan was asked whether Biden would ask Congress to pass legislation to authorize more funding for Ukraine. “I’m not here to put forward a specific legislative proposal. President Biden will make the case that we do need ongoing resources for Ukraine beyond the end of his term,” he said.

Ukraine funding

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 criticized and rallied against with other Republican lawmakers. Trump said last year that if he had been in the White House at the time, Putin would not have invaded Ukraine. He told Reuters Ukraine may have to cede territory to reach a peace agreement, something Kiev rejects and Biden has never suggested.

Zelensky said on Thursday he was not aware of any details of Trump’s plan to end the war quickly and that he was convinced a rapid end would entail major concessions by Kyiv. According to the Government Accountability Office, Congress appropriated over $174 billion to Ukraine under Biden. The pace of the aid is almost certain to drop under Trump, with Republicans set to take control of the US Senate with a 52-seat majority.

Control of the US House of Representatives in the next Congress is not yet clear, with some votes still being counted. Republicans have won 213 seats, according to Edison Research, just shy of the 218 needed for a majority. If Republicans win both chambers, it will mean the majority of Trump’s agenda will have a significantly easier time passing through Congress. Republican US Senator Bill Hagerty, a Trump ally who is considered a top contender for secretary of state, criticized US funding for Ukraine in a CBS interview. “The American people want sovereignty protected here in America before we spend our funds and resources protecting the sovereignty of another nation,” Hagerty said. — Reuters