Witkoff meets Putin as Ukraine faces up to peace deal loss of territory to Russia

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko accepts land compromise as UK set to abandon troop deployment to Ukraine

US special envoy Steve Witkoff, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet at the Kremlin. EPA

US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Friday, to push Washington's peace plan for settling the Ukraine conflict, which would confirm Moscow's hold on territory seized since its 2022 invasion.

The billionaire real estate magnate is leading Washington's mediation efforts and has already met Mr Putin three times since Mr Trump returned to the White House in January. A senior Ukrainian figure conceded on Friday that the country may have to cede territory to secure a “temporary peace” deal with Russia.

Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv and former world heavyweight boxing champion, is the most senior Ukrainian politician to indicate his country may have to give up territory seized by Russia since 2014. His comments come as it was reported the UK may have to abandon a proposed deployment of 10,000 troops to protect Ukraine after officials warned the costs are “too high”.

In an interview with the BBC, Mr Klitschko admitted that his country may be forced into a "painful solution" to achieve peace. "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," he said.

Earlier this week, Donald Trump suggested Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was making it "difficult to settle" the war with Russia because of his opposition to recognising Moscow's annexation of Crimea. The US administration is urging Kyiv to accept Russia's continued control of occupied Ukrainian regions and Moscow's ownership of the Crimean peninsula as part of a peace settlement.

Donald Trump gives remarks before departing the White House for Rome. EPA

Mr Trump spoke outside the White House on Friday as he headed to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis and said he wanted a settlement with Russia as soon as possible. "We’re going to try and get out of war so that we can save 5,000 people a week. And that’s what my aim is. I want to save 5,000 young men," he said.

Mr Trump later said a rare earth metals extraction agreement remains unsigned by Kyiv.

"Ukraine, headed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has not signed the final papers on the very important Rare Earths Deal with the United States. It is at least three weeks late," he posted on Truth Social. "Hopefully, it will be signed IMMEDIATELY. Work on the overall Peace Deal between Russia and Ukraine is going smoothly. SUCCESS seems to be in the future!

Mr Klitschko stressed that Ukraine would "never accept occupation" by Russia, which currently controls about 20 per cent of his country’s territory.

Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko visits the site of a missile attack in Kyiv on March 25. AFP

Documents leaked on Friday show that the US's and Europe's peace proposals still contain significant differences. Whereas the US version says Ukraine would receive robust security guarantees, the European version proposes a Nato-standard commitment from Washington.

The US version says the guarantor countries will be an ad hoc grouping of European states plus willing non-European states. The Europeans then added that there would be no restrictions on the presence, weapons and operations of friendly foreign forces on the territory of Ukraine. That is a position consistently rejected by Russia.

The US sets out recognition of Russia's annexation of Crimea, as well as acceptance of Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Kherson. Following a conference of Ukraine and its allies in London this week, UK officials said the UK is likely to abandon plans to send troops to Ukraine as the risks are considered to be too high. Military trainers would still be sent, The Times reported.

Talks have been continuing between European nations on what support the "coalition of the willing" could provide to Ukraine. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he is "ready and willing" and presented a plan to deploy 10,000 peacekeeping troops, with the bulk of them from the UK and France.

Ukrainian rescuers evacuate a woman from a burning building following a drone attack in Pavlohrad. AFP

But a source involved in discussions said the “risks are too high and the forces inadequate for such a task”, adding that “this was always the UK’s thought” and that it “was France who wanted a more muscular approach”. Asked about the reports, the Environment Secretary Steve Reed told Sky News that "those negotiations are still under way".

"There haven't been any decisions taken yet, but all options remain on the table, whether that's land, air or sea,” he said.

Russian drone attacks on Ukraine continued on Friday with three civilians, including a child and a 76-year-old woman, killed when one struck an apartment building in the city of Pavlohrad in south-eastern Ukraine.

It came after Russia pounded Kyiv on Thursday, killing at least 12 people and injuring 87 in its deadliest assault on the Ukrainian capital since July, actions which drew a rare rebuke of Vladimir Putin from Trump. “Vladimir, STOP!” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on Kyiv. Not necessary and very bad timing.”