In the early hours of Sunday, the American tabloid New York Post published an exclusive report by its correspondent aboard Donald Trump’s plane, claiming that the U.S. president had a phone conversation with Vladimir Putin about ending the Russia-Ukraine war. This report was widely circulated by global media, while the Kremlin declined to confirm or deny it. BBC’s Russian Service examines what was stated in the publication and how it has been received.

The BBC notes that the only direct mention of a conversation between Putin and Trump appears in the headline and the first paragraph of the article.

The article is titled: "Trump says he spoke with Putin by phone and claims the Russian president 'wants people to stop dying' in the Ukraine war."

The first paragraph states: "President Trump spoke with Russian leader Vladimir Putin by phone in an attempt to reach an agreement on ending the war in Ukraine, he told the New York Post on Friday in an exclusive interview aboard Air Force One [the presidential aircraft – Ed.]."

However, the author reportedly does not provide a direct quote from Trump mentioning a conversation with Putin. The journalist also does not specify when such a call allegedly took place.

When asked how many times he had spoken with Putin, Trump responded, "I’d rather not say," implying that this information was confidential.

Trump reportedly also told the New York Post that, in his view, Putin "cares" about the fact that people are being killed on the battlefield.

Euronews reports that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he “can neither confirm nor deny” Trump-Putin talks have taken place.

“Communications between Moscow and Washington occur through different channels,” he added, according to Euronews.

Before retaking office, Mr. Donald Trump said he would end the war within 24 hours once he was president.