Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in an interview with the BBC that Ukraine may have to make territorial concessions as part of a peace deal with Russia amid mounting pressure from US President Donald Trump, BTA reported.
"One of the scenarios is… to give up territory. It's not fair. But for the sake of peace, temporary peace, this can be a temporary solution," Klitschko noted.
The 53-year-old former boxer-turned-politician, however, stressed that the Ukrainian people would never accept Russian occupation.
Klitschko made his statement just hours after a Russian airstrike on Kiev that killed 12 people and wounded more than 80. It was one of the deadliest attacks by Russia on the Ukrainian capital in recent months.
The Russian army currently controls about 20% of Ukraine's territory. Klitschko is one of the most senior Ukrainian politicians to publicly state that territorial concessions, albeit temporary, are possible. He and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are political opponents, the BBC notes. Klitschko has repeatedly accused Zelensky and his team of trying to undermine his authority.
Klitschko told BBC Radio 4's programme that he "bears responsibility for the Ukrainian capital" and that Kiev is the "heart" of the war-torn country. He added that Zelensky could be forced to make a "painful decision" to achieve peace.
Asked if Zelensky had discussed any details with him about a possible resolution to the conflict, Klitschko replied with a curt "no". "President Zelensky is dealing with that himself. It's none of my business," the mayor of Kiev added.
He also commented on the public clash between Zelensky and Trump at the White House in February, noting that it was better for leading politicians to resolve key issues "without video cameras."
Earlier this week, the US president accused Zelensky of obstructing peace talks after the Ukrainian leader rejected the possibility of recognizing Russian control over the occupied Crimean peninsula.
Trump said that Crimea "was lost years ago" and that now "it is not even up for discussion."
However, Zelensky recalled that in 2018 - during Trump's first presidential term - then US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed the so-called "Crimean Declaration", which states that the US "rejects Russia's attempted annexation (of the peninsula)".