A senior Trump adviser has indicated the incoming administration would push Ukraine towards a peace deal with Russia rather than supporting its attempts to reclaim occupied territories, marking a potential major shift in US policy.
Bryan Lanza, a long-time Trump strategist, told the BBC that President-elect Trump would seek a “realistic vision for peace” from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, explicitly stating that Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, “is gone”.
“When Zelensky says we will only stop this fighting, there will only be peace once Crimea is returned, we’ve got news for President Zelensky: Crimea is gone”, Lanza said, adding that if Ukraine prioritised reclaiming Crimea with American support, “you’re on your own”.
The comments follow a recent phone call between Trump and Zelensky, which Ukrainian sources described as “warm and pleasant” though without substantial policy discussions. Tesla CEO Elon Musk also participated in the call.
Trump’s Democratic opponents warn his approach amounts to Ukrainian surrender and threatens European security. Zelensky recently presented a “victory plan” to parliament that rejected ceding any territory to Russia.
While criticising the Biden administration’s handling of military aid, Lanza insisted the US priority would be “peace and to stop the killing” rather than territorial recovery. The US has been Ukraine’s largest arms supplier, committing $55.5bn in weapons and equipment since February 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has welcomed Trump’s claims that he could end the war “in a day”, though Trump has not detailed how he would achieve this.
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