Ukraine might consider giving up land for peace, says Kyiv Mayor Klitschko in BBC interview

Klitschko, a 53-year-old former heavyweight boxing champion turned politician, emphasized, however, that “the Ukrainian people will never accept occupation.” His remarks came just hours after a deadly Russian missile-and-drone attack on Kyiv claimed 12 lives and injured more than 80 others one of the most devastating assaults on the capital in recent months.

Since the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, Moscow has seized control of around 20% of Ukraine’s territory. Klitschko now becomes one of the highest-ranking Ukrainian officials to publicly suggest that ceding land albeit temporarily could be on the table.

During the interview, Klitschko said that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy might be compelled to accept a “painful solution” in the pursuit of peace. When asked whether Zelenskyy had discussed such possibilities with him, the mayor responded bluntly, “No. President Zelenskyy does it himself. It’s not my function.”

Klitschko and Zelenskyy have long been political rivals, with the mayor accusing the president’s team of attempts to undermine his authority. Referring to a heated exchange between Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump in February, Klitschko remarked that “key issues between top politicians” should be addressed “without video cameras.”

Earlier this week, Trump accused Zelenskyy of hindering peace efforts by refusing to acknowledge Russia’s control over Crimea. Trump claimed the peninsula was “lost years ago” and “not even a point of discussion.” Zelensky, however, cited a 2018 declaration by then-US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, which rejected Russia’s annexation of Crimea and reaffirmed US support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Meanwhile, sentiments on the ground in Kyiv remain mixed. Svitlana, a teacher at a school hit by Thursday’s attack, told the BBC that she doesn’t believe surrendering Crimea would halt Russia’s aggression: “Those who think that Putin will stop if he is given Crimea, they don’t know who the Russians are.”

Olha, a local resident who helped rescue efforts after the bombing, expressed deep frustration. “As of now I think it’s better to be away from here because nothing good awaits us here,” she said. “There will not be a good solution.”

While she was critical of Zelenskyy, stating he “should have stayed a comedian,” many others continue to back the Ukrainian president’s refusal to concede territory, insisting that any form of occupation is unacceptable.

As negotiations continue under global scrutiny and Russian strikes persist, Ukraine faces a difficult road ahead one fraught with the possibility of hard compromises.