Then, in response to Trump’s claim that during their phone call, he asked—in some accounts, warned —Putin not to escalate the war in Ukraine, a Kremlin spokesman denied that the two had spoken on the phone at all. (Putin issued his belated congratulations at a news conference.)

The Kremlin has dismissed reports suggesting a recent phone conversation between President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump regarding the Ukraine conflict. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov labeled these claims as "pure fiction,

Vladimir Putin and his henchmen have repeatedly threatened to deploy their nuclear arsenal since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022

Vladimir Putin has been warned he may be left with little choice but to use Russia's nuclear arsenal if the war in Ukraine drags on even longer, with the military and economy both under strain

Vladimir Putin may now have only one option left in Ukraine, as the conflict, which has been ongoing for over two years, significantly destabilizes the Russian economy. After nearly three years of fighting with its neighbor,