US President Donald Trump claims to have had a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to an interview on Air Force One during a flight to Florida on the night of February 7. However, Trump refused to disclose the exact date of the call, responding to a question about the frequency of his conversations with Putin by saying, “I’ll say that better not.”
Trump reiterated his “good relationship” with Putin and expressed the impression that the Russian president is genuinely concerned about the loss of life on the battlefield, stating, “He wants people not to die.”
In the context of the Ukraine conflict, Trump claimed to have a “concrete plan” to resolve the issue and expressed hope that the war would end “quickly.” The president emphasized his intention to “end this damn thing” while also directing his national security advisor, Mike Waltz, to “get these meetings going.” Trump was quoted as saying, “They want to meet. Every day, people are dying. Young, beautiful soldiers are being killed. Young men like my sons, on both sides, everywhere on the battlefield.”
On February 9, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitri Peskow responded to a question from the news agency Iswestija, stating, “While the government in Washington is at work, there are many different communications and these communications are being conducted through various channels. Naturally, I, personally, may not know or be up to date on everything in the background of the diversity of these communications. Therefore, I can neither confirm nor deny this particular case.”
On February 7, Trump had announced a potential meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stating that he would likely meet with the Ukrainian leader “next week” in Washington. Trump made it clear that he would not be traveling to Ukraine and added that he would “probably” also speak with Putin.