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Klitschko is now one of the oldest Ukrainian politicians to publicly indicate that his country may have to give up territory.
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko has told the BBC that Ukraine may have to give up land as part of a peace deal with Russia, amid growing pressure from President Donald Trump to accept territorial concessions.
" One of the scenarios is... giving up territory. It's not fair. But for peace, temporary peace, maybe it could be a solution, temporary ," he said in response to questions from the BBC.
But the 53-year-old former boxing champion turned politician stressed that the Ukrainian people would never accept Russian occupation. He was speaking hours after a Russian missile and drone attack on Kiev killed 12 people and wounded more than 80. It was one of the deadliest Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital in recent months.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Moscow currently controls about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory.
Klitschko is now one of the oldest Ukrainian politicians to have publicly indicated that his country may have to give up territory, albeit temporarily.
The mayor of Kiev and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are political opponents. The mayor has repeatedly accused the president and his team of trying to undermine his authority.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme from his office in central Kiev on Thursday, Klitschko noted that he was responsible for the Ukrainian capital, describing it as the "heart" of the war-torn country. He said Zelensky could be forced to make a "painful choice" to achieve peace.
When asked if Zelensky has discussed any details of a possible solution with him, Klitschko replied bluntly: "No. "
"President Zelensky does it himself. It's not my function ," he added.
Referring to a highly public clash between Zelensky and Trump at the White House in February, the mayor suggested that major issues between top politicians would be better discussed "off camera."
Earlier this week, Trump accused Zelensky of damaging peace negotiations after the Ukrainian leader again ruled out recognizing Russian control of Crimea, a southern Ukrainian peninsula illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014.
Trump said "Crimea will stay with Russia" in an interview with Time magazine on Friday, after saying the peninsula was "lost years ago."
But Zelensky pointed to a 2018 "Crimea statement" by Trump's then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, saying the US rejects Russia's attempted annexation.
Ukraine and its European allies have expressed alarm in recent weeks about what many on the continent see as Trump's warming relations with Vladimir Putin's Russia.
In subsequent comments made after his BBC interview regarding the possibility of Ukraine ceding territory, Klitschko said that he "didn't say anything new" and that many politicians and world media were discussing it as a possible outcome of a peace agreement.
"We understand that the scenario involving territorial concessions runs counter to our national interests and we must fight against its implementation to the end. This will require extraordinary efforts from both us and our European partners," he added.
As talks escalate, Russian attacks on Ukraine have continued. On Thursday, an attack in Kiev killed 12 people and wounded dozens, officials said. The BBC witnessed the body of a child being pulled from the rubble of their home as people silently wept nearby.
Svitlana, a teacher at a school near which she was also hit, spoke about her injury and added that she believed Russia would not stop its aggression if Ukraine gave up Crimea.
"Those who think Putin will stop if he is given Crimea don't know who the Russians are, he won't stop," she said, adding that Zelensky expresses the opinion of all of us and we support him.
Another woman, Olha, who had helped rescue workers assist 10 people, five of whom died and the rest were injured, was more critical.
"For now I think it's better to be away from here because nothing good awaits us here, it won't be a good solution ," for Ukraine.
She said that Zelensky was a comedian and he should have remained a comedian./ Adapted from "Pamphlet" by "BBC"
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