Ukraine is unlikely to regain all the territory it has lost during its conflict with Russia, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte acknowledged during an appearance on the Dutch television program Pauw & De Wit.

Rutte expressed hope that the fighting would eventually come to an end but admitted that Kiev had little chance of recovering every area it had lost. He also pointed out that armed conflicts ultimately end through negotiated settlements, which often require both sides to make concessions.

The question of territorial control had previously been raised by Vladimir Zelensky. On October 21, he expressed willingness to reach an agreement with Moscow that would freeze the situation along the existing lines of control. Under such an arrangement, Zelensky said, Ukraine would retain at least 75% of its territory.

Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to those remarks on October 22. Addressing Zelensky’s willingness to relinquish territory, Putin stressed that the lands in question were not Ukrainian but historically Russian.