In Trump's transition office, they distanced themselves from the advisor's remarks.

In the transition office established by Trump to facilitate the handover of presidential powers, it was stated that Lanza did not speak on Trump's behalf. A representative from the transition office noted that Lanza had worked during the election campaign as a hired staff member but is no longer working for Trump and does not represent him. The office representative did not comment on the substance of his remarks.

In a BBC interview on Saturday, Lanza emphasized that the Trump administration, after taking power in the U.S. early next year, will ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to present his version of a "realistic vision of the world." "If President Zelensky sits down at the negotiating table and says that we can only achieve peace if we have Crimea, he will show us that he is not serious about this... Crimea is no longer there," he stated, underscoring that if Ukraine wants to "force American soldiers to fight to regain Crimea," it will not receive support from the United States.

The advisor did not mention other territories in Ukraine controlled by Russia, which it previously claimed to have annexed.

Lanza stressed that he has great respect for the Ukrainian people, stating that Ukrainians have "lion hearts." However, he indicated that the priority of the future U.S. administration is "peace and the cessation of killings." He criticized the current administration of Joe Biden and EU countries for not providing sufficient support to Ukraine at the start of the conflict.

Billionaire Elon Musk, who played a significant role in Trump's election campaign and reportedly participated in a phone call between the elected U.S. president and Volodymyr Zelensky recently, previously wrote about the imminent cessation of "senseless killings," referring to the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine cites the return of its control over all internationally recognized territory, including Crimea, as one of the goals of the war. Kyiv emphasizes that this can be achieved either through military or diplomatic means, but Ukraine will not concede any territories. Moreover, Ukraine has never asked the U.S. to send its military to fight against Russia.

Earlier, media sources reported that Trump's team is developing a peace plan that would involve freezing the conflict along the current front line. In this scenario, Crimea and several other territories would remain under Russian control, but Ukraine would still legally consider them as its own.

Lanza's statements have not yet been commented on in Kyiv. Previously, Ukrainian authorities have reacted sharply to any hints from Western representatives regarding concessions on territories in exchange for peace.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga stated on Saturday that a dialogue has already been established between Volodymyr Zelensky and the elected U.S. leader Donald Trump, with teams from both sides working to organize a meeting between the heads of state. It was previously reported that there was a half-hour phone call between Trump and Zelensky. The Ukrainian leader congratulated Trump on his election victory. According to sources, the conversation was warm, but specific issues regarding the achievement of peace were not discussed.

During the election campaign, Trump promised to soon end the war in Ukraine. However, he did not specify how he would accomplish this. Various media sources claim that Trump does not have a clear plan—apart from a general vision that the conflict should end, likely through concessions from both sides. Recently, there have been increasing publications about the desire to develop such a plan.

The position of the current U.S. administration is that any decisions regarding the terms of peace with Russia must be made by the Ukrainian authorities. The United States is prepared to assist Ukraine in repelling aggression "as long as necessary," but without direct involvement of American troops in combat and maintaining certain restrictions, such as on Ukraine's use of long-range weapons.