Putin and Trump may have discussed energy crisis, Kremlin confirms
Russian President Vladimir Putin and former US President Donald Trump may have discussed the global energy situation in recent phone calls, the Kremlin said on Sunday. The talks come as the ongoing war in Ukraine and Western sanctions are putting pressure on global energy supplies.
The Kremlin said Putin and Trump have had at least two calls in the past month. One of them focused on how to de-escalate tensions over attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure, particularly after Ukraine accused Russia of attacking its power facilities. The most recent confirmed call took place on March 20.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Trump has been acting as an intermediary in energy talks, and despite no longer holding an official position, he has been in touch with Putin to find a solution to the crisis.
The Kremlin denies previous calls
While there are many details about the calls that have not been made public, the Kremlin has said that only two recent calls have been confirmed, taking place in February and March. However, other reports from Western sources suggest that Trump and Putin have regularly discussed global issues, including energy and regional security, since Trump left the White House.
The Kremlin, however, has not ruled out the possibility of unreported conversations. “We only report on conversations that we are aware of,” Peskov said on a television show. He hinted that there may have been other informal contacts between the two leaders.
On the Ukraine conflict and a possible ceasefire
The latest call between Putin and Trump discussed the possibility of a halt to attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, a condition for peace talks. However, Ukraine claims that Russia has continued its attacks despite a promise of a ceasefire. Moscow denies this, insisting that it has complied with the agreements.
"Putin ordered a halt to the attacks and this was done immediately. However, we have not seen anything similar from Kyiv," Peskov said.
Possible face-to-face meeting between Putin and Trump
Peskov also said that the talks between the two leaders could lead to a face-to-face meeting in the future. He hinted that the meeting could take place in Riyadh, where US-Russia talks are scheduled to take place early next week.
However, there has been no official confirmation from Washington on whether Trump will participate in these talks, although Trump has expressed his desire to mediate between Russia and Ukraine to prevent the conflict from escalating.
Reuters and many other sources also said that the meeting between Putin and Trump could play an important role in resolving the current energy tensions, especially when oil and gas supplies from Russia are disrupted by international sanctions.