BERLIN, December 2. /TASS/. Ukraine will have to make painful concessions for the sake of peace and possibly even hold a referendum, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told the Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung newspaper.

"This will undoubtedly be an extremely difficult process for Ukraine, which may end in a referendum," the top German diplomat said. He noted that Ukrainian citizens may have to decide whether to accept the terms of ending the conflict or not. "The task of diplomacy is to work out compromises that could be supported by the parties to the conflict. Ultimately, of course, this always involves painful concessions," Wadephul pointed out.

The German minister also opined that, thanks to diplomatic efforts, the chances of achieving a ceasefire in Ukraine "have never been so great" as they are now. He considers security guarantees to be the "most important condition" for this and believes that the US plays a key role in this regard.