The claims and counterclaims about the disputed call stem from concerns in Europe about Trump’s approach to Ukraine. This morning, British and French leaders will meet in Paris to observe the events of Armistice Day, but will also discuss the implications of Trump’s victory.

My colleague Andrew Sparrow covers British political news and reports on the UK Secretary of Defense John Healey to explain away the risk that Trump’s re-election poses to Ukraine, rather than talking about it.

I don’t expect the US to turn away from NATO. They recognize the importance of the alliance. They recognize the importance of avoiding further conflict in Europe.

Healey said U.S. support for NATO “goes back decades, and has continued to do so, including during President Trump’s previous administration.” He also said Trump had “rightly” pushed for European countries to spend more on defense.

Meanwhile, away from the disputed call, The race for a new Senate majority leader is heating up, with three Republicans vying for the spot. Florida Senator Rick Scott has so far received support from Trump’s Maga camp, including RFK Jr, Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk.

Donald Trump himself has not yet announced an endorsement, although he said on Sunday he would like a new leader to hold “recess appointments,” a controversial method of quickly putting Cabinet members in power while bypassing a lengthy confirmation process in the Senate.

Vladimir Putin has demanded that Ukraine withdraw from parts of its eastern and southern territories as a condition for peace talks, Agence France-Presse reports.

After the election of Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that “no concessions” should be made to Putin.

Giving up land or giving in to other tough demands from Moscow would only embolden the Kremlin and lead to more aggression, he said.

Washington has provided tens of billions of dollars in U.S. military and economic aid to Ukraine since the country was invaded by Russia in February 2022, funding that Trump has repeatedly criticized.

You can read our report on the Kremlin’s denial here:

During the election campaign, Trump said he would find a solution to end the war in Ukraine “within a day,” but did not explain how he would do that.

According to the Washington Post report on the call, the US president-elect advised the Russian leader not to escalate the war in Ukraine and reminded him of “Washington’s extensive military presence in Europe.”

The Kremlin denies reports of the call between Trump and Putin over Ukraine

Good morning, and welcome to our US politics blog, as the Kremlin denies reports that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin discussed the war in Ukraine during a phone call, dismissing it as “pure fiction.”

The Washington Post first reported that the phone call between the Russian leader and the newly elected US president took place on Thursday.

On Monday morning, Reuters reported that Putin currently has no specific plans to speak with Trump, according to his Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Here is our report on the disputed call: