Budanov: Both Sides Understand That War Cannot Be Eternal

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov said this in an interview with the US newspaper The New York Times, according to Ukrinform.

“Of course, we cannot trust one another because we are at war. That is logical and understandable. At the same time, both sides understand they need to search for a solution. The war cannot be eternal,” he said.

Budanov added that he was ready to take any step that would bring an end to the war, provided that the terms were acceptable to Ukraine.

In his view, even during active hostilities, it is worth“keeping conversations open” with the adversary.

“I am an officer of military intelligence. My whole life, I am in dialogues and communications. For me, this is not difficult,” the Head of the Presidential Office said.

Budanov also said that he had frequently communicated with Admiral Igor Kostyukov, the head of Russia's military intelligence agency.

In 2022, with Turkish mediation, they reached their first agreement to open Black Sea shipping routes to facilitate grain exports, a key export commodity for both warring countries.

“Over the years, we were able to accomplish a lot, including on questions of prisoners of war,” Budanov said.

Among other things, he also revealed that he had regularly communicated with Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner private military company.

According to Budanov, however, those conversations took place shortly before Wagner staged a mutiny against the Kremlin in 2023.

Read also: FM Sybiha expects“new momentum” in peace talks

As Ukrinform reported, Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov said that Russia currently does not want to stop the war, and that an end to the fighting should not be expected this coming winter.

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