Trump adviser says focus on Ukraine should be peace, not region

Trump Has Consistently Said His Priority 2 Is T&T War And Stem T Drain And US Resources: Source BBC

A senior adviser to President-elect Donald Trump says the incoming administration will focus on achieving peace in Ukraine rather than enabling the country to recover territory occupied by Russia.

Brian Lanza, a Republican strategist, told the BBC the Trump administration would ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for his version of a "realistic vision of peace".

"And if President Zelensky comes to the table and says, we can live in peace if we have Crimea, he shows us that he is not serious," he said. "Crimea is gone."

Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Eight years later, it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and occupied territory in the east of the country.

The president-elect has consistently said his priority is to end the war and stop what he has characterized as a drain on U.S. resources in the form of military aid to Ukraine.

However, he has yet to make clear how he intends to do this - and will likely hear competing visions for Ukraine's future from his various advisers.

Mr Lanza, Mr Trump's political adviser since the 2016 campaign, did not mention the region in eastern Ukraine, but said retaking Crimea from Russia was unrealistic and "not a US goal".

"When Zelensky said, 'We will only stop this war, there will be peace if Crimea goes back,' we got news for President Zelensky: Crimea is gone," he told the BBC World Service's Weekend programme.

"And if your priority is to get Crimea back and American troops fight to get Crimea back, then you're on your own."

The United States has never deployed American troops to fight in Ukraine, and Kiev has never requested American troops to fight on its side. Ukraine has requested American military assistance to arm its own troops.

Mr Lanza said he had great respect for the people of Ukraine, describing them as having the heart of a lion. But he said the US priority was to "establish peace and stop the killing".

"What we're going to tell Ukraine is, you know what you see? What you see as a realistic vision for peace. It's not a vision for victory, it's a vision for peace. And let's start an honest conversation," he said.

Trump is expected to hold peace talks with his close allies after taking office.

A National Security Council aide who previously worked under Trump told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday: "Anyone — no matter how senior in Trump's circle — who claims he has a different view or a more detailed window into his plans for Ukraine. I know what. I'm talking."

They said the former president had "made his own calls on national security issues" and had done so "many times over a period of time".

Trump spoke with Zelensky after his election victory, with billionaire Elon Musk also participating in the call.

A source in the Ukrainian president's office told the BBC that the "pretty long conversation" between Zelenskyi and Trump lasted "about half an hour".

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

Trump's Democratic opponents have accused him of collaborating with Russian President Vladimir Putin and say his approach to war amounts to a capitulation to Ukraine that would endanger all of Europe.

Last month, Zelensky presented a "victory plan" to Ukraine's parliament that included refusing to hand over Ukrainian territory and sovereignty.

During his campaign, Trump repeatedly said he would end the war between Russia and Ukraine "within a day," but did not elaborate.

A paper written in May by two of its former national security chiefs said the United States should continue supplying arms, but conditionally supported Kiev's entry into peace talks with Russia.

Ukraine should not give up hope of recovering all its territory from Russian occupation, the paper said, but it should be negotiated based on the current front line.

Earlier this week, Putin congratulated Trump on his election victory and said Trump's claim that he could help end the war in Ukraine "deserves at least some attention."

Mr Lanza also criticized the support given to Ukraine by the Biden-Harris administration and European countries since the February 2022 full-scale invasion of Russia.

"The reality on the ground is that the European countries and President Biden did not give Ukraine the strength and weapons early on to win this war, and they failed to lift sanctions for Ukraine to win," he said.

Earlier this year, the US House of Representatives approved a $61bn (£49bn) military aid package for Ukraine to help counter Russian aggression.