Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has acknowledged that Ukraine might have to consider the temporary loss of some territory to Russia as a possible route to achieving peace. In an April 25 interview with the BBC, Klitschko stated that although such a scenario is “not fair,” it could be a temporary solution to end the war. However, he emphasized that Ukrainians would never accept Russian occupation.

His comments come amid growing U.S. pressure for a peace agreement with Moscow and follow a deadly Russian strike on Kyiv that killed 12 and injured nearly 90 people. The April 24 attack occurred shortly after Russia reiterated its demands that Ukraine surrender occupied territory and that Western nations halt military assistance to Kyiv.

Klitschko is the first high-profile Ukrainian official to suggest publicly that temporary territorial concessions might be considered in the interest of peace. The suggestion aligns with reports of a U.S.-backed peace plan that includes formal recognition of Russian control over Crimea and implicit acknowledgment of its occupation of parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, has repeatedly dismissed the idea of recognizing any occupied territories as Russian. Earlier this week, he clarified that no official proposal for territorial concessions had been received from the U.S. or other partners.

Despite his international reputation, Klitschko remains a controversial figure in Ukraine, facing criticism over his governance of the capital. He has had a long-running feud with Zelensky and alleges ongoing political pressure from central authorities. When asked if Zelensky had discussed any peace-related details with him, Klitschko responded, “No.”