Trump claims he had ‘other’ calls with Putin
US President Donald Trump has claimed that he has held phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin other than the ones made public since he took office on January 20.
So far, the Kremlin and the White House have officially confirmed two conversations between the leaders, with one taking place in mid-February and the other on Tuesday.
Trump said in an interview with the Washington Examiner that the one this week “was a very good call.”
“I think it is the beginning of something good. The beginning really took place three or four weeks ago. You know, I have spoken to Putin over — this is not just a call that began it. We have had other calls,” he claimed.
Other contacts have not been disclosed to the public by Washington or Moscow, but they were “positive,” the US president added.
Trump insisted that his agreement with Putin during Tuesday’s call for Russia and Ukraine to refrain from striking each other’s energy infrastructure for 30 days is “a big thing.”
The Kremlin announced that Putin “immediately” ordered the Russian military to stop attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, while the Defense Ministry in Moscow said on Wednesday that it had to shoot down seven of the drones it had already launched towards targets in Nikolaev Region after receiving the president’s command.
The US leader expressed hope that Tuesday’s agreement “will lead to other things,” including “probably a full ceasefire at the appropriate time.”
“It is hard right now because you have got guys looking at each other with gun barrels… but the next thing would be a full ceasefire and a deal,” he said.
Last week, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow to propose a 30-day ceasefire, to which Kiev had agreed to earlier.
The Russian leader said he endorses the idea of a ceasefire in principle, but insisted on resolving several issues before it can go into effect, including the fate of Ukrainian forces currently encircled in Russia’s Kursk Region.
He also expressed concerns that Kiev could use the pause in the fighting to replenish its military after a series of defeats on the battlefield.
