US President Donald Trump's national security adviser Mike Walz did not give a clear answer to the question of whether Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin have already had a phone call.
“Of course, there are very delicate negotiations“, he replied when asked whether the US and Russian leaders have already had a phone call.
Walz added that Trump intends to resolve the Ukrainian conflict and that he is ready to “tax, impose tariffs and sanctions“ to do so. “Next week, our Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Vice President and Special Envoy for Russia and Ukraine will be heading to Europe. They will discuss the details of the settlement of this war, and this means that both sides will have to sit down at the negotiating table,“ the aide to the American leader noted.
Earlier, The New York Post wrotethat Trump reported that he had discussed the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine by phone with Putin.
Russian President Dmitry Peskov's press secretary said that he “could neither confirm nor deny this“. He explained that “while the administration in Washington is developing its work, there are many different communications“ that “are happening through different channels“.
Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire and readiness to talk to Putin in recent weeks. However, there have been no official reports of any contacts. Putin's last conversation with Trump, information about which is available on the Kremlin website, is from July 23, 2020.