Ukraine may have to give up land to Russia to secure peace, Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko has admitted, although he has portrayed the concession as a “temporary” measure.
In an interview with the BBC aired on Friday, Klitschko acknowledged that Ukraine cannot deny the territorial reality on the ground. Crimea and four other former Ukrainian regions overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in 2014 and 2022 in public referendums, respectively. Kiev has never recognized the votes’ results.
”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 said, though he claimed that “the Ukrainian people would never accept occupation.”
Asked whether Vladimir Zelensky takes heed of his position on the conflict settlement, the former heavyweight boxing champion said he had not been consulted. “President Zelensky does [it] himself. It’s not my function,” he said.
Klitschko and Zelensky have been engaged in a long-standing feud after the city boss accused the Ukrainian leader’s team of undermining local governance and usurping power.
Klitschko also warned in February that Ukraine should prepare for an unfavorable resolution to the conflict. “The so-called compromise could turn out to be very painful for every Ukrainian,” he said at the time.
Klitschko’s remarks come as the administration of US President Donald Trump has reportedly floated a peace proposal that would see Washington recognize Crimea as part of Russia and unofficially acknowledge Moscow’s control over parts of four other former Ukrainian regions.
The plan would also reportedly freeze the current front lines, block Ukraine’s NATO membership, with Kiev receiving certain security guarantees from its Western backers.
Zelensky’s blunt rejection of the idea of recognizing Crimea as part of Russia prompted Trump to decry the Ukrainian leader, calling his statement “very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia in that Crimea was lost years ago.”
He also suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “easier to deal with” than the Ukrainian leader.
On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested that Moscow and Washington are moving towards a settlement of the Ukraine conflict, noting that “there are still some specific points, elements of this deal which need to be fine-tuned.”
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