The Kremlin has denied media reports claiming that US President-elect Donald Trump held a call with Vladimir Putin, during which he allegedly warned the Russian president not to escalate the war in Ukraine. The call, first reported by the Washington Post, was said to have taken place on Thursday. During the conversation, Trump was also said to have mentioned the US military presence in Europe.

A Kremlin spokesperson called the reports “pure fiction,” while Trump’s team told the BBC they would not comment on the president-elect’s private calls. Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, stated, “We do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders,” but added that world leaders had started reaching out to the incoming president.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov firmly denied the call took place, calling the report “completely untrue” and “false information.”

Trump has promised to end the ongoing war in Ukraine, though he has not yet provided details on how he intends to achieve that. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned against conceding any land to Russia and stressed that without US support, Ukraine could lose the war.

While Peskov spoke of “positive” signals from the incoming US administration, others are hopeful that Trump will not abandon Ukraine. British Defence Secretary John Healey expressed confidence that the US would continue to stand with Ukraine and its allies in the fight against Russia.

In Ukraine on Sunday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell emphasized that any peace deal must be sustainable, warning against rushing to end the war without considering the long-term consequences.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said President Joe Biden would urge Trump to continue supporting Ukraine, warning that pulling back could lead to greater instability in Europe.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock cautioned that Putin could use the transition period between US administrations to gain an advantage in Ukraine, urging European countries to increase support for Kyiv.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, a dam near the front line in the eastern Donetsk region was damaged by a Russian strike, potentially threatening nearby settlements. Russia and Ukraine recently carried out their largest drone attacks since the war began, with both sides reporting significant drone interceptions.

On Monday, Russian airstrikes killed at least six people and injured 21 others in Ukraine. President Zelensky condemned the ongoing attacks, stating on Twitter that Russia’s actions show it only seeks to continue the war, undermining any claims of diplomacy.

In the Kharkiv region, Russian forces claimed to have captured the village of Kolisnykivka, marking significant territorial gains for Russia in October, the largest since March 2022, according to the Institute for the Study of War.