Is Crimea "no longer" part of Ukraine? Trump's team responds to the controversial statement made by his advisor.

The statement by Brian Lanza, advisor to the elected president of the United States, regarding Ukraine, represents his personal opinion. It does not reflect Donald Trump's position.

As reported by Reuters, this was conveyed by an unnamed representative of Trump's transition team. However, no details about the elected president's plans were provided.

"Brian Lanza was a contractor for the campaign. He does not work for President Trump and does not speak on his behalf," the source informed the publication.

He added that the politician is currently focused on staff selection for key positions and the development of policies to be implemented during the second term.

It is known that in a recent interview with the BBC, Trump's advisor stated that the new White House administration will ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to provide a "realistic vision for peace."

"If President Zelensky sits at the negotiating table and says, 'We can only have peace if we get Crimea back,' he will demonstrate that he is not serious. Crimea is no longer there," Lanza said.

Trump himself has not ruled out the possibility that Ukraine may have to leave some of its territory under Russian occupation. Overall, he has avoided direct answers regarding the war between Russia and Ukraine, but has promised that he could "end it in 24 hours," possibly even before the inauguration takes place.

As previously reported, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that contact between Trump and Zelensky has already been established, and their new meeting is just a matter of time.