Mike Walz, the future national security adviser of the newly elected US President Donald Trump, said in an interview with ABC News that completely pushing Russia out of territories that Ukraine claims, including Crimea, is an unrealistic goal.
„I just don't think it's realistic to say that we're going to kick every Russian out of every inch of Ukrainian land. Even from Crimea. President Trump has recognized that reality, and I think that's a huge step forward. The whole world now recognizes this reality," he said.
According to him, it is necessary to "focus on ending the conflict diplomatically".
"Let's move forward. How do we stop this conflict and prevent its further escalation, which could involve the whole world?" - he added, expressing concern about the possible expansion of the conflict, including the intervention of other countries, such as South Korea and the DPRK.
Waltz stressed that the first step should be to declare a ceasefire, which would open the way to the negotiation process and the search for a long-term solution.
The future national security adviser said that preparations are underway for a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to him, there may be telephone talks in the near future.
“We have not yet determined the exact framework for this“, he noted, answering a journalist's question about the possibility and form of a meeting between Trump, Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.
On January 10, Trump announced that he was preparing for a meeting with Putin. According to him, it is necessary to end the Ukrainian conflict. However, there are no specifics at the moment.