Ukraine could temporarily lose control over occupied territories

Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer believes it is possible that Ukraine would not regain control of certain territories occupied by Russia for the time being in the event of a ceasefire. "It may be that Ukraine will first have to accept that certain territories are temporarily inaccessible to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire," the CDU politician told the Funke media group newspapers.

When asked whether Ukraine should cede territories in order to end the war, however, he also emphasized that the principle must be: "No square metre of Ukrainian territory - not even Crimea - has become Russian." But "as in other major conflicts, it will take time to find a final solution".

Kretschmer repeated his call for diplomatic initiatives. "A smart policy seeks allies to influence (Kremlin leader Vladimir) Putin to end this war," he said. "The dying must finally stop."