Kremlin Spokesperson Says Trump And Putin May Have Talked More Than Twice

Dmitry Peskov. (Source: Kremlin)

JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump may have made more contact than the two phone calls publicly announced over the past few months, the Kremlin said in a video footage published by state television on Sunday.

President Trump, who said he wanted to be remembered as a peaceful carrier, has repeatedly said he wants the three-year conflict in Ukraine to end and has warned of its risk of escalation becoming a world war between the United States and Russia.

So far there have been two phone calls announced between President Putin and President Trump this year - on February 12 and March 18 - despite speculation about a much more frequent contact, and also reports they spoke before Trump was elected last year.

When asked by the Kremlin's most prominent correspondent for state television about Trump's remarks indicating there may be more than two calls, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said information had been released about the calls he knew.

"Listen, we inform you of the conversations we know about. However, we can't rule everything else out," Peskov said.

Pavel Zarubin of state television then asked: "So, all kinds of nuances may happen as they say?" replied Peskov: "Well, that's how I answer your questions."

Contacts between President Trump and President Putin have frightened European leaders who fear the United States could ignore Europe, in hopes of reaching a peace agreement with Russia as part of a broader major bargaining that includes oil prices, the Middle East and competition with China.

President Trump told the Washington Examiner he had spoken to the Russian leader for weeks.

Prior to contact with President Trump, President Putin last spoke with the US President who was in office in February 2022, when he and Joe Biden spoke shortly before Russian leaders ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine.

Separately, Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward in his book published in 2024 entitled "War" reported Trump had had seven direct conversations with Putin after he left the White House in 2021.

When asked if it was true in an interview with Bloomberg last year, Trump said: "If I do, it's a smart thing." The Kremlin denied Woodward's report.

Reuters, The Washington Post and Axios reported separately, Trump and Putin speaking in early November. The Kremlin also denied the report.

President Putin and President Trump may make another phone call if Ukraine continues to attack Russia's energy infrastructure, Peskov said.

President Putin approved the suspension of the attack in a phone call with Trump last week. Kyiv, who said he would be willing to take part in the partial ceasefire if documents establishing his terms were approved, accused Russia of disobeying Putin's orders, something Moscow denies.

"Although the Russian side has kept its promises for the past few days, the promises given by the president, and the president's orders, which will be implemented and implemented immediately, and are still being carried out, the same cannot be said about the Kyiv regime", Peskov said.

On Friday, Russia and Ukraine accused each other of bombing Russian gas station in the border area where Ukrainian troops had withdrawn.

Russia said on Saturday it had the right to "symmetric responses" to Ukraine's attacks on Russian energy facilities.

When asked if Ukraine's breach of the agreement could be a reason for another Putin-Trump phone call, Peskov said: "Of course. The president confirmed their intention to continue the contact as needed."

In another clip released on the Telegram Zarubin channel on Sunday, Peskov said the latest phone call between Putin and Trump was "a step towards a face-to-face meeting", adding Russia-US talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia scheduled for Monday will also be the move, Interfax news agency reported.