Putin and Trump may have spoken more than twice, Kremlin says

By Guy Faulconbridge and Ksenia Orlova

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump may have had more contacts than the two publicly announced telephone calls over recent months, the Kremlin said in video footage published by state television on Sunday.

Trump, who says he wants to be remembered as a peacemaker, has repeatedly said that he wants the three-year conflict in Ukraine to end and has warned of the risks of it escalating into a world war between the United States and Russia.

There have so far been two announced phone calls between Putin and Trump this year - on Feb. 12 and on March 18 - though there has been speculation about much more frequent contact, and also reports that they spoke before Trump was elected last year.

When asked by the most prominent Kremlin correspondent for state television about remarks by Trump that indicated there may have been more than two calls, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said information had been released about those calls he knew of.

"Listen, we inform you about the conversations that we are aware of. But we can't rule out everything else," Peskov said with a smile.

State television's Pavel Zarubin then asked: "So all sorts of nuances are possible as they say?" to which Peskov replied: "Well, that is how I would answer your question."

The contacts between Trump and Putin have spooked European leaders who fear the United States could be turning its back on Europe in the hope of striking a peace deal with Russia as part of some broader grand bargain encompassing oil prices, the Middle East and competition with China.

Before the contacts with Trump, Putin last spoke to a sitting U.S. president in February 2022, when he and Joe Biden spoke shortly before the Russian leader ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine.

Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward in his 2024 book "War" reported that Trump had direct conversations as many as seven times with Putin after he left the White House in 2021.

Asked if that were true in an interview to Bloomberg last year, Trump said: "If I did, it's a smart thing." The Kremlin denied Woodward's report.

Reuters, The Washington Post and Axios reported separately that Trump and Putin spoke in early November. The Kremlin also denied those reports.

ENERGY ATTACKS

Putin and Trump may have another phone call if Ukraine continues strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, Peskov said.

Putin agreed to the suspension of such attacks in a phone call with Trump last week. Kyiv, which has said it would be willing to take part in such a partial ceasefire if a document setting out its terms is agreed, has accused Russia of not abiding by Putin's order, something Moscow denies.

"While the Russian side has been sticking to its word for several days now, the word that the president gave, and to the president's command, which immediately came into force and was immediately implemented, and is still being implemented, the same cannot be said of the Kyiv regime", Peskov said.

Russia and Ukraine accused each other on Friday of blowing up a Russian gas pumping station in a border area where Ukrainian troops have been retreating. Russia said on Saturday that it reserves the right to a "symmetrical response" to Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy facilities.

Asked if Ukraine's violation of the agreement may become a reason for another Putin-Trump call, Peskov said: "Absolutely. The presidents confirmed their intention to continue contacts as necessary."

In another clip released on Zarubin's Telegram channel earlier on Sunday, Peskov said the latest phone call between Putin and Trump was "a step towards a face-to-face meeting", adding that Russia-U.S. talks in Riyadh scheduled for Monday would also be such a step, Interfax news agency reported.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Gareth Jones)