Ahead of Friday’s summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko has thrown his weight behind a negotiated solution to the war in Ukraine.
“We must find a diplomatic solution,” Klitschko told Germany’s Bild newspaper in comments published on Sunday.
“Everyone in our state, in our country, is tired of this war,” said the former heavy-weight world boxing champion turned politician.
“Unfortunately, we have paid a huge price for this war: the lives of our patriots, our soldiers, our citizens. Hundreds of cities have been destroyed. A large part of Ukraine is occupied by Russia,” Klitschko said.
Regarding Russia’s demands for territorial concessions by Ukraine to end the war, Klitschko said it was still “far too early” for such talks – but did not explicitly rule out ceding territory.
That was a question for President Volodymyr Zelensky, Klitschko said, noting that some “difficult decisions” now fell to Ukraine’s embattled leader. “Some people will never be willing to cede part of the country to Russia,” he added.
On Friday, Trump and Putin plan to meet in Alaska to negotiate a possible peace settlement to the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
In Kiev and Brussels alike, there are fears that the two leaders could agree to Ukraine permanently ceding territory to its neighbour.
Zelensky, who has not been invited, strictly rejects any territorial concessions and vehemently demands to be included in any talks on his country’s future.
Credit: Yahoo News