Ukraine-Russia conflict newest: Zelensky could have to present land to Putin for peace, says Kyiv mayor Klitschko

Serhi Leshchenko, an adviser to Volodymyr Zelensky, has hit back at Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko’s claim that Ukraine may need to concede land to reach peace.

“I think it’s counterproductive to make any comments on this topic, since we have no official proposal on the table regarding this,” he told BBC World Service’s Newsday programme.

“Any discussion of this violates the Ukrainian constitution because Ukraine’s constitution states the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” he said, adding that it is “very important” that Ukrainian politicians abide by the constitution.

The Ukrainian position has been clear and declared by president Volodymyr Zelensky, when a Ukrainian delegation proposed a ceasefire in the air and sea, Mr Leschenko added.

Kyiv also agreed to a full ceasefire on the land during the Saudi Arabia talks last month, he said.

Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has landed in Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin, according to the Interfax news agency.

It would be the second time Mr Witkoff has met with the Russian autocrat, as the Trump administration claims it is keeping up pressure on the Kremlin to stop its heavy bombardment of Ukraine.

Mr Trump has expressed hope that a peace deal will be made in the following days, telling reporters on Thursday: “This next few days is going to be very important. Meetings are taking place right now. I think we’re going to make a deal … I think we’re getting very close.”

Boris Johnson has weighed in on Donald Trump’s peace proposals, issuing his first stark criticism of the US president as he said that Kyiv would “get nothing” under his plans.

Russia would retain the right to keep Ukrainian territory, the right to “control Ukraine’s destiny”, the lifting of sanctions, an economic partnership with the US, and the opportunity to rebuild its armed forces “for the next attack in a few short years’ time”, Mr Johnson said.

“As for Ukraine – what do they get after three years of heroic resistance against a brutal and unprovoked invasion?” he asked, adding that they would “get nothing”.

The former prime minister said there is “nothing” in Donald Trump’s offer which can “realistically stop a third Russian invasion”.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko has said Vladimir Putin is sitting “in the corner” and is unable to explain his mistakes to the Russian people.

“We have the same religion, almost the same language, almost the same history, but the idea [to invade], sick idea destroyed the relationship between the two countries and brings instability in the whole of Europe, in stability in the world.

“Right now, Putin sits in the corner. He can’t explain to people [about the] mistakes. He had a dream to occupy Ukraine in a couple of days, and they expect the Ukrainian people to be very happy to see the Russian soldier, a sick illusion.”

World affairs editor Sam Kiley writes:

On Wednesday, America’s ‘big man’ once again lashed out at the diminutive Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. Warning that Zelensky would “lose his country” if he refused to accept a peace deal, Trump accused him of prolonging the “killing field” after Zelensky declined to cede Crimea to Vladimir Putin as part of a potential settlement.

Claiming the territory had been lost for good in 2014 and was not up for discussion, Trump reserved his harshest criticism not for the aggressor who invaded a neighbouring sovereign state, but for the leader defending it. And if it all feels personal, that’s because it is.

The narcissism of America’s 47th president has long been one of Vladimir Putin’s greatest assets. As a former head of the Federal Security Service – successor to the KGB and expert in personality profiling and manipulation – Putin understands that the fragile ego behind the resolute desk is a potent weapon for the Kremlin.

The mayor of Kyiv this morning said Ukraine may have to give up land as part of a peace deal with Russia as Donald Trump ramps up pressure on Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to accept territorial concessions.

“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,” Vitali Klitschko told the BBC.

However, he stressed that the Ukrainian people would “never accept occupation” by Russia.

His statement comes just hours after Mr Trump said a Russia-Ukraine agreement was very close – but accused his Ukrainian counterpart of prolonging the “killing field” after he refused to cede Crimea to Vladimir Putin as part of a potential peace plan.

Mr Trump accused Mr Zelensky of making an end to the war harder to achieve, arguing that the territory had been lost for good in 2014 and was not up for discussion.

“Nobody is asking Zelensky to recognise Crimea as Russian territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired,” Mr Trump asked.

Mr Zelensky had insisted on Tuesday that Ukraine would not recognise Russia’s occupation of Crimea under any agreement, saying: “There is nothing to talk about – it is our land, the land of the Ukrainian people.”

Later on Wednesday, Mr Zelensky posted a statement on X: “Emotions have run high today. But it is good that 5 countries met to bring peace closer. Ukraine, the USA, the UK, France and Germany.”

Ukraine suspects Russia of torturing reporter who died in captivity

Ukraine said it identified the body of journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, who had died in Russian captivity, and a forensic medical examination revealed signs of torture and ill-treatment.

Viktoria Roshchyna died at the age of 27 last September after spending months in captivity.

The journalist, whose first-hand reports provided a glimpse into life under Russian occupation early in Moscow’s invasion, went missing in August 2023 during a reporting trip to Russia-held eastern Ukraine.

The body of the journalist was discovered among bodies that Russia handed over to Ukraine in February, Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office said yesterday.

“A tag with the surname Roshchyna was found on one of them,” it said in a statement.

The DNA tests showed that chances the body belonged to Roshchyna were over 99 per cent, and additional tests are being carried out with the help of French specialists, it said.

Two people were killed and eight more were wounded in a Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad, the regional governor said this morning.

“The aggressor again conducted a mass attack on the region with drones,” Serhiy Lysak, governor for the central Dnipropetrovsk region, said on Telegram, adding that 11 drones were destroyed over the region.

Mr Lysak said that several fires had broken out in the city, posting a photo of a fire raging on some levels of a multi-storey building.

He said that six of the wounded were hospitalised while two others, including a 15-year-old girl, were treated on site.

Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte said after talks with Donald Trump that the US and its European allies agree that Russia is a long-term threat.

“We all agree in Nato that Russia is the long-term threat to Nato territory – to the whole of the Euro-Atlantic territory,” Mr Rutte told reporters outside the White House.

He also said the US remained committed to Nato, even as Washington increasingly focuses on the Asia-Pacific region.