A senior adviser to President-elect Donald Trump said Ukraine needs to be “realistic” in its war goals, adding that the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula is “disappeared.”

Addressing the BBC On November 9, Republican Party strategist Bryan Lanza said that Asset the administration would ask President Volodymyr Zelensky present a “realistic vision of peace”.

“When Zelensky says that we will not stop this fighting, there will only be peace once Crimea has returned, we have news for President Zelensky: Crimea has disappeared,” he said.

Russia invaded and then illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014.

Ukraine’s leaders have publicly stated they plan to restore the country’s 1991 borders, which includes liberating Crimea and parts of the territory. Donbass occupied by Russia since 2014.

Lanza did not refer to Donbas in the interview, but said the return of Crimea was “not the goal of the United States.”

Although American troops have never been deployed to Ukraine, and kyiv has never requested so many, Lanza added that Ukraine would be “on its own” if the goal was “to get American soldiers to fight to recover Crimea.

Trump defeated Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 presidential election, adding even more uncertainty for Ukraine as it struggles to envision its future.

“If we win, well before January 20, before I take over the presidency, well before that, I think we could find a solution that is good for both parties,” Trump said alongside Zelensky in New York in september. .

It is unclear why Russia would want to take a break from the current phase when Moscow’s forces are currently at the height of their power. offensive in 2024 and would still have the necessary resources to continue to go further.

On November 9, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russia was “ready to listen” to Trump’s proposals, but added that there would be no “simple solution.”

Trump’s peace plan could include deploying European troops to Ukraine buffer zone, Telegraph reports

The United States is reportedly supplying weapons to Ukraine to prevent Moscow from restarting the war, according to the Telegraph. In exchange, Ukraine would agree not to pursue its ambition to join NATO for 20 years, the sources said.