In Russia, they all understand that war needs to end, that’s why they’re negotiating, - Budanov
The head of the President's Office, Kyrylo Budanov, says he sees progress toward a possible peace agreement with the Kremlin.
He made this statement in an interview with Bloomberg, according to Censor.NET.
Details
Although the negotiations to end the war have yielded almost no visible results, Budanov expressed optimism that the talks are moving toward a resolution.
In his view, Russia also wants to end the war.
"They all understand the war needs to end. That’s why they are negotiating. I don’t think it will be long," Budanov noted.
According to the head of the OP, both sides have maintained "maximalist" positions in the US-mediated negotiations so far, but said he believes they’ll move closer together in the search for a compromise.
The head of Ukraine's negotiating delegation believes that Russia has a clear incentive to reach an agreement.
"Unlike us, they are spending their own money. These are enormous sums — already in the trillions," he explained.
However, he declined to say what a possible compromise on the territorial issue—the most difficult issue in the negotiations—might look like, the publication notes.
"No final decision has been made yet. But, in principle, everyone now clearly understands the limits of what is acceptable. That’s enormous progress," the head of OP added.
Budanov asserts that a key achievement of the peace talks was maintaining the involvement of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration as a mediator. He said that Ukraine expects the White House’s top envoys to the talks, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to lead the U.S. delegation that will visit Kyiv, possibly next week, marking their first visit to the country since the war began.
Russia has no shortage of soldiers
He also acknowledged that Russia has no shortage of military personnel and, if necessary, could mobilize approximately 23.5 million people, which exceeds Ukraine’s capabilities.
"That’s an estimate from when I was head of military intelligence, based on a report prepared toward the end of 2025 on Russia’s mobilization capacity for Putin. I read it in the original. No, there are no problems — and there won’t be any in the coming years." Budanov commented.
When asked what would happen if negotiations with Russia did not lead to an agreement that would end the war, the head of the Presidential Office said:
"Do you think there is some kind of magic wand? There are only two options — war or peace. Not just continuing the war, but continuing negotiations. If they agree to that — because they might not."
