BBC: Trump advisor demands “realistic vision for peace” from Ukraine, says “Crimea is gone”

Bryan Lanza, a senior Trump adviser, told the BBC that the focus in US policy towards Ukraine would shift from territorial recovery to achieving peace in the region.

Ukrainian president Zelenskyy, however, has repeatedly emphasized that Ukraine will not give up any of its territories to Russia, which was reiterated in his recently presented “victory plan.” He views such concessions as unacceptable and a threat to Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence. This stance is rooted in Ukraine’s desire for a just and lasting peace, rather than a temporary ceasefire that could potentially allow Russia to regroup and continue its aggression.

According to Lanza, the Donald Trump’s incoming administration will request President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to present a “realistic vision for peace,” BBC reports. 

The advisor explicitly stated that Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, would not be part of negotiations: “Crimea is gone,” he told the BBC World Service’s Weekend programme.

The Trump advisor emphasized that if Ukraine insists on regaining Crimea as a condition for peace, “you’re on your own.” 

“And if that is your priority of getting Crimea back and having American soldiers fight to get Crimea back, you’re on your own,” he said.

The senior advisor expressed respect for Ukrainians, describing them as having the hearts of lions, while emphasizing that the US would prioritize ending the war.

Lanza also criticized the current Biden-Harris administration’s approach, stating they “did not give Ukraine the ability and the arms to win this war at the very beginning.” 

“The reality on the ground is that the European nation states and President Biden did not give Ukraine the ability and the arms to win this war at the very beginning and they failed to lift the restrictions for Ukraine to win,” he said.

However, the US remains Ukraine’s largest arms supplier, having committed $55.5bn worth of weapons and equipment between February 2022 and June 2024, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

The article notes that Trump recently spoke with Zelenskyy in what a Ukrainian presidential office source described to the BBC as a “good lengthy conversation” lasting approximately thirty minutes, with Elon Musk also participating in the call.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has responded positively to Trump’s stance, stating that the president-elect’s claim about ending the war “deserves attention at least.” Putin emphasized Trump’s previous rhetoric about improving US-Russia ties, suggesting that to restore relations, the US should end sanctions and support for Ukraine. 

Earlier, Andriy Yermak, the head of the President’s Office, stated that Russian forces must withdraw to positions held prior to the February 2022 invasion as a precondition for any peace negotiations. 

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