‘Crimea is gone’ – Trump’s promise to ‘end the war in one day’ Ukraine

Bryan Lanza, advisor to US President-elect Donald Trump, said the new administration will focus on peace in Ukraine rather than taking back the occupied territories, adding that if Zelenskyy wants Crimea back, he will show that he is not serious. “Crimea is gone.”

Former US President Donald Trump’s approach to the Ukraine war continues to draw attention in the international community. Trump’s promise to “end the war in one day,” which he repeatedly expressed during his election campaign, has brought with it discussions that could offer a new perspective on the years-long Russo-Ukrainian conflict.

In this context, one of Trump’s strategists, Bryan Lanza, told the media that the Trump administration would demand a “realistic vision for peace” from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy.

According to SCMP, Lanza stated that the Trump administration adopted a realistic approach to the idea of ​​Crimea returning to Ukraine. In his statements, Lanza said, “If Zelenskyy sits down at the table and says we can only make peace if we have Crimea, he will show that he is not serious,” and stated that the return of Crimea is no longer a priority for the US. Lanza implied that recognizing Crimea as part of Russia could play an important role in the Trump administration’s peace strategies, and stated that the US’s priority is “peace and stopping the killings.”

Trump has been sending messages that direct military aid to Ukraine will be ended or restricted if he is re-elected. This approach suggests that Trump may limit his policy of providing military aid to Ukraine, which he says is draining US resources. Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly had a warm and friendly phone conversation, but no important details were discussed.

A source from the Ukrainian presidential office told the media that the conversation was brief and had a more general nature rather than an official context.

Lanza stated that Trump would sit down with Ukraine after winning the election and demand that a “realistic vision for peace” be developed in these talks. Lanza stated that Ukraine “must develop a realistic perspective to end the war” and emphasized that the US could provide limited support for Ukraine’s request to take back all of its territory. Lanza, who said “Crimea is gone”, also made it clear that he would expect the Trump administration to reduce its demands for territory from Ukraine.

Trump repeatedly said during his campaign that he could end the war between Russia and Ukraine “in one day,” but did not provide further details.

Trump’s former national security chiefs made the US’ continued arms aid conditional on Kyiv starting peace talks with Russia.

The article stated that Ukraine should not give up hope of regaining all of its territory from Russian occupation, but should negotiate along existing front lines.

On the other hand, Trump is also signaling that he will reconsider relations with NATO and the European Union. Trump’s statements that Europe should strengthen its own defenses as part of his “America First” policies indicate that support for NATO may also be limited. As Lanza stated, Trump’s goal is to limit military aid to Ukraine and for the US to partially withdraw from these obligations.

The Russian government has also begun to make statements regarding Trump’s possible approach to Ukraine. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stated that they are open to Trump’s attempts to resolve the Ukraine issue.

However, Ryabkov also stated that some of the messages Trump used during the election process were geared towards his election strategy and may not be realistic. Putin congratulated Trump on his victory and expressed hope that Trump could contribute to resolving the conflict in Ukraine.

Lanza, who also criticized the military aid provided by the US to Ukraine during the Biden-Harris administration, argued that European countries and the US administration did not provide Ukraine with sufficient weapons and support at the beginning of the war. At the beginning of this year, the US approved a $61 billion military aid package for Ukraine, but according to Lanza, this support did not provide enough support for Ukraine to win the war.

Although the US has provided $55.5 billion in military aid since February 2022, highlighting the US as Kyiv’s largest arms supplier, there are ongoing discussions about whether this aid will be sustainable in the long term.