The Kremlin has refused to confirm or deny a US report of a telephone conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday. Washington and Moscow have not officially confirmed any communication between the leaders since Trump took office with a pledge to quickly end the Ukraine war.
The New York Post reported Saturday night that Trump told the publication that he spoke with Putin by phone to discuss ending the conflict in Ukraine, and that the Russian leader told him he “would like to see people stop dying.” The newspaper quoted Trump as saying that it’s “not good to say” how many times leaders have spoken.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in comments to the Tass state news agency, said he could neither confirm nor deny the conversation but was unaware of any such call.
“What can I say about this news? As the administration expands its work in Washington, many different communications arise and these communications are made through various channels,” he said, “and of course, because of these multiple communications, I may not know something personally, I may be unaware of something. So in this case, I can neither confirm nor deny it.”
Peskov has previously repeatedly denied reports that Trump and Putin had held talks before the US leader returned to the presidency. The Kremlin said it was waiting for “signals” about a possible meeting between Trump and Putin and that no one from Trump’s new administration had contacted it about arranging it.
Emergency Arab summit to be held to discuss Palestinian issue
Egypt is set to host an Arab summit on February 27 to discuss the “recent serious developments” regarding the Palestinian territories. “Egypt will host a conference to discuss ‘recent serious developments’ regarding the Palestinian territories,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on Sunday.
The “emergency Arab summit” is being held as Egypt is gathering regional support against US President Donald Trump’s plan to transfer Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Egypt and Jordan and establish US control over the coastal enclave.
Egypt requested the summit to address the latest serious developments regarding the Palestinian issue, following extensive consultations at the highest level with Arab countries, including Palestine, in recent days. The statement said that Egypt is also coordinating with Bahrain, which currently holds the presidency of the Arab League, for the conference.
On Friday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelati joined regional partners including Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in opposing the forcible displacement of Palestinians from their land.
Last week, Trump unveiled the concept of a US administration in Gaza, relocating Palestinians living in Gaza to other places like Egypt and Jordan, envisioning rebuilding the devastated region as the “Riviera of the Middle East.” The remarks have sparked a global backlash, with Arab countries strongly rejecting the proposal, insisting on a two-state solution with an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
