Trump calls Putin, urges against escalation in Ukraine

US President-elect Donald Trump has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged him not to escalate the war in Ukraine, the Washington Post reported.

Yet, shortly after the call, both Russia and Ukraine launched record drone attacks, with Russia targeting southern Ukraine and Ukraine aiming its largest-ever drone offensive at Moscow.

Trump held the call from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Thursday, just days after his stunning election victory over Democratic rival Kamala Harris, the report said.

The Post, citing several people familiar with the call who spoke on the basis of anonymity, reported that Trump had reminded Putin of America 's sizable military presence in Europe.

They said he also expressed an interest in further conversations to discuss "the resolution of Ukraine's war soon."

Trump's election is seen as carrying the potential to upend the almost three-year Ukraine conflict, as he insists on a quick end to the fighting and casts doubt on Washington's multi-billion dollar support for Kiev.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with Trump on Wednesday, with the Republican's billionaire backer Elon Musk also notably joining them on the call.

Zelenskyy described the call as "excellent," saying that he and Trump had agreed to "maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation."

The outgoing Democratic administration of President Joe Biden has confirmed that it will send as much aid as possible to Ukraine before Trump's inauguration on January 20.

On Sunday, Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the White House aims "to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position on the battlefield so that it is ultimately in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table."

This would include using the remaining $6 billion of funding for Ukraine available, Sullivan said.

Positive signals

The Russian government has given a cautious but mostly positive response to Trump's return, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying Sunday: "The signals are positive... At least he's talking about peace, and not about confrontation."

During his campaign, Trump repeatedly vowed to quickly end the Ukraine war -- even before he is sworn into office -- but without detailing his thinking.

Trump and his allies have railed against US funding for Ukraine, while insinuating that it helps fund a corrupt pro-war nexus of defense companies and foreign policy hawks.

Massive drone attacks

Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine launched record drone attacks on each other despite the Trump-Putin phone call.

Russian air strikes killed at least five people in southern Ukraine, authorities said Monday, a day after Moscow and Kiev launched record overnight drone attacks at each other.

Russia launched 145 drones at Ukraine overnight Saturday into Sunday, Ukraine's Zelenskyy said -- more than in any single night during the conflict.

"Last night, Russia launched a record 145 Shaheds and other strike drones against Ukraine," Zelenskyy said Sunday on social media, urging Kiev's Western allies to do more to help Ukraine's defence.

Russia also said it had downed 34 Ukrainian attack drones targeting Moscow on Sunday, the largest attempted attack on the capital since the start of the war in 2022.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Sunday that the White House was to spend its remaining $6 billion of funding for Ukraine before Trump takes office, warning of the risks of ending US support for Kiev.

While having publicly claimed to be backing Harris in the US election, the Kremlin is widely believed to have actually wanted to see Trump return to the White House, welcoming his scepticism over American aid to Ukraine and his chaotic leadership style.