A senior adviser to the newly elected US President Donald Trump has announced that the new administration will focus on achieving peace in Ukraine, instead of allowing the Ukrainians to return the territory occupied by Russia, Croatian reports. Index.

Brian Lanza, a strategist for the Republican Party, told the BBC that the Trump administration will ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for his version of a "realistic vision for peace." "And if President Zelensky comes to the table and says: 'We can have peace only if we have Crimea,' it shows us that he is not serious." "Crim is gone," Lanza said.

Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014. Eight years later, it launched an invasion of Ukraine and occupied territory in the east of the country. The US president-elect has repeatedly said his priority is to end the war and halt what he characterizes as a drain on US resources in the form of military aid to Ukraine.

Our priority is peace and stopping the killings

However, he has yet to reveal how he intends to do this and is likely to hear different visions of Ukraine's future from different advisers. Lanza, a political adviser to Trump since his 2016 campaign, did not mention the areas of eastern Ukraine, but said the return of Crimea was unrealistic and "not a goal of the United States."

- When Zelenski says that there will be peace only when Crimea is returned, we have news about President Zelenski: Crimea is gone. And if your priority is to return Crimea and for American soldiers to fight for the return of Crimea, you are left to your own devices - emphasized Lanza.

The United States has not yet deployed American troops to fight in Ukraine. Kiev has not asked for US forces to fight on its behalf, but exclusively for US military aid to arm its own troops.

Lanza noted that he has great respect for the Ukrainian people, describing them as lion-hearted people. But he added that the US priority is "peace and stopping the killings".

-What we will say to Ukraine is: "What do you see as a realistic vision of peace?" It is not a vision of victory, but a vision of peace and let's start with an honest conversation - he said.

Trump spoke with Zelensky

Trump is expected to include a circle of close associates in the peace talks. After winning the elections, Trump spoke with Zelensky, and billionaire Elon Musk also participated in the conversation. A source from the office of the Ukrainian president told the BBC that the conversation between Zelenskyi and Trump lasted "about half an hour".

"It wasn't really a conversation about very important things, but overall it was very warm and pleasant," the source said.

Trump's Democratic opponents accuse him of courting Russian President Vladimir Putin and say his approach to war is tantamount to a betrayal of Ukraine that will endanger all of Europe.

Last month, Zelensky presented a "victory plan" to the Ukrainian parliament, which included refusing to cede territory and sovereignty to Ukraine. During his campaign, Trump repeatedly said he could end the war between Russia and Ukraine "in a day," but never provided further details.

A document written by two of his former national security chiefs in May said the US should continue supplying weapons but condition support on Kiev entering peace talks with Russia.

The United States is the largest supplier of arms to Ukraine

Earlier this week, Putin congratulated Trump on his election victory and said Trump's claim that he could help end the war in Ukraine "at least deserves attention." Lanza referred to the support that the Biden administration and European countries have given to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion.

- The reality on the ground is that the European countries and President Biden did not give Ukraine the ability and weapons to win this war at the very beginning and they failed to remove the restrictions on Ukraine's victory - he is convinced.

Earlier this year, the US House of Representatives approved a $61 billion military aid package for Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion.

The US was the largest arms supplier to Ukraine – between February 2022 and the end of June 2024, it delivered $55,5 billion worth of weapons and equipment.