The head of the Ukrainian presidential administration Kirill Budanov believes that there is a chance that the war will end by the end of 2026. According to Budanov, in the spring, peace negotiations with Russia were progressing at a good pace, but to date the situation has escalated. How to stop the escalation, what changes on the front are needed for Ukraine and are concessions possible? This question was posed by RBC-Ukraine to the former head of the GRU Kirill Budanov.
Ukraine will not agree to territorial concessions and there is no longer any question of "elections" and a referendum, which should confirm the concessions demanded by the Kremlin, Budanov says.
At the same time, Russia will not be satisfied with "protecting the Russian language": the situation in the war has gone too far. To date, Ukraine's main task is to stop the retreat at the front and move on to peace negotiations on its own terms. According to Budanov, it does not matter what form these negotiations will take and whether envoys of US President Donald Trump will participate in them. According to him, the most important thing in this case is the result, that is, the end of the war.
During the interview, the host asks Budanov a direct question whether there is a chance that the war will end this year. The head of the Presidential Administration states that this is possible, but not under the conditions of escalation, which is currently ongoing. According to him, de-escalation must first be achieved, and then - to continue talks and dialogue. And the condition for getting out of such a situation is the maximum intensification of the escalation, he points out.
"There are chances, and in the spring the negotiations were going at a very good pace. Now we have all reached an escalation, everyone understands it. In order to get out of the escalation, it is usually necessary for it to reach its maximum peak", he points out.
Budanov also notes that the negotiations will begin if "the parties show interest". Then he specifies that Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his opinion, will still show "interest" at some point. Moreover, Ukraine has a "window of opportunity" associated with the November elections in the US and the two years during which Trump will be in power. Budanov summarized that this is also "one of the significant factors, but, believe me, this is not the most important".
"I don't feel, I don't see pressure on us", he assured in response to a question about possible pressure from partners on Ukraine in order to achieve peace.