Ukraine may need to cede territory to reach a ceasefire with Russia, admits Klitschko
Ukraine may need to give up territory - temporarily - to achieve some sort of ceasefire with Russia, Kyiv's mayor has said.
Vitali Klitschko, a former heavyweight boxer, cited the example of Germany after the Second World War, pointing out how the passage of time eventually allowed the two sides of Germany to reunite.
"One of the scenarios is… to give up territory. It's not fair. But for the peace, temporary peace, maybe it can be a solution, temporary," Mr Klitschko said.
He made the comment in an interview with the BBC, and many headlines suggest he is the first big hitter in Ukraine to air this view.
In fact, that is not quite the case.
Yes, it is the first time it has been suggested since the start of US-led negotiations in February.
But roll the clock back to last November, and in an in-depth interview with Sky News, President Zelensky appeared to suggest something similar.
It was a nuanced discussion, and the President spoke through an interpreter, but he essentially said that if Ukraine were given Nato membership, Kyiv would accept a ceasefire.
Ukraine would then try to negotiate the return of Russian-occupied territory in the east at a later date by diplomatic means.
Would Ukrainians vote to give away land to stop the war?
That suggestion ran counter to what Mr Zelensky had said previously - and continues to say - about ceding territory, and with Nato membership now seemingly less likely, it is an offer he has not repeated.
The President's latest take on things is that any sort of Russian occupation is unconscionable. A red line that cannot be crossed.
He has already rejected an American proposal that Kyiv accepts that Crimea, which Vladimir Putin illegally annexed in 2014, is now Russian territory.
"There is nothing to talk about. This violates our constitution. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine," he is quoted as saying.
So what is the constitutional position on Ukraine ceding territory?
It cannot be done without a national referendum, which the Ukrainian parliament must authorise.
Article 2 of the constitution states that Ukraine's sovereignty "extends throughout its entire territory", which "within its present border is indivisible and inviolable".
Constitutions can of course be changed - but not while Ukraine is under martial law.
And would Ukrainians, with thousands of their countrymen dead and injured, vote to give their land away? It seems highly unlikely.
The political backdrop to the ex-boxer's intervention
Mr Klitschko's comments also provide an interesting political backdrop.
We interviewed him in his office in Kyiv two years ago. The walls are covered with maps of Ukraine and memorabilia given to him by various Ukrainian brigades he's visited.
He is a giant of a man, very pleasant and welcoming, and you can imagine he would probably get on quite well with the current US President. Maybe not politically, still the razzamatazz of a former heavyweight boxer would appeal to Mr Trump's showman sensibilities.
But Mr Klitschko and Volodymyr Zelensky do not get on. They are political rivals, and Kyiv's mayor has accused the Zelensky government of turning Ukraine into an autocracy.
Last year, a documentary suggested the feud began when Mr Zelensky lampooned Mr Klitschko on his TV comedy show, before becoming President.
Mr Klitschko is not popular in all parts of Kyiv either. We met several people who criticised him, accusing him of wasting money on vanity projects around the city.
These latest comments will do little to heal the mayor's rift with his President.
When I asked Vitali Klitschko if he had higher political ambitions, he gave a suitably diplomatic answer.
But you can imagine his comments may well be seized upon by a White House that is patently not that keen on Mr Zelensky but is keen to find political allies in Ukraine.
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