LONDON: Ukraine may have to cede territory in order to secure “temporary” peace with Russia, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko told the BBC in an interview published on Friday.

More than three years into its invasion, Russia occupies large swathes of southern and eastern Ukraine. As the US pushes both sides towards a peace deal, neither Kyiv nor Moscow have publicly signalled they are willing to give up territory.

“One of the scenarios is... to give up territory. It’s not fair. But for the peace, temporary peace, maybe it can be a solution, temporary,” Klitschko, a former boxing champion, said.

His comments came after US President Donald Trump criticised Ukrain­ian President Volodymyr Zelensky for not agreeing to cede Crimea — annexed by Moscow in 2014 — to Russia in a potential peace deal.

He told the BBC that Zelensky may have to accept a “painful solution” to achieve peace, but stressed that the Ukrainian people would “never accept occupation” by Russia. Klitschko later put out a statement on social media, saying he wanted to “clarify” the interview.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2025