US President-elect Donald Trump called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to refrain from any further escalation of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The call was made from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida just days after his clear-cut electoral victory over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
Trump, who is interested in further talks with Moscow, said that they need to make the dialogue more productive in order to de-escalate the two-and-a-half-year war and take a step to resolve the conflict.
According to sources quoted by The Washington Post, Trump emphasized the high-profile US military presence in Europe, which insiders believe reflects his implicit intention of applying American influence to ease the conflict in Ukraine.
Trump had promised to end the war during his campaign. But he has been stressing peace, though not presenting any strategies or proposals so far.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump telephoned the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Tech billionaire Elon Musk reportedly also joined the conversation. Zelensky has described the discussion as "excellent," saying he was encouraged by Trump's interest in keeping a constructive dialogue.
"I am now optimistic that, together with the newly elected US administration, we will manage to ensure peace and stability in the region," the Ukrainian president said.
There is little indication the war, which began in 2022 and has changed the global geopolitical map, is going to be resolved anytime soon. Recent events point to the fact that both Russian and Ukrainian forces are positioning themselves to gain an advantage should future negotiations be brokered. Ukrainian forces continue to stretch out strategically as Russian troops make advances in a number of locations. This change points to a desperate need for diplomatic intervention.
Over the weekend, Russian forces launched 145 drones at Ukraine overnight, said Zelensky, while Russia said it had shot down 34 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow on Sunday.
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