The Chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, Kyrylo Budanov, emphasized that achieving a ceasefire between Ukraine and the Russian Federation is a top priority and must be realized as soon as possible, reports Baltimore Chronicle with reference to Bloomberg.
During the interview, journalists reminded Budanov that while Ukraine had agreed to calls from the United States for an unconditional ceasefire, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a phone conversation with Donald Trump, declared that Russia would not retreat from its military objectives, according to a transcript released by the Kremlin.
In response, Budanov stressed that reaching a ceasefire is not only possible but also entirely realistic before the end of the year. “Is it realistic? Yes. Is it difficult? No. At least three parties are needed—Ukraine, Russia, and the United States. And we will reach that position,” he said.
It is worth noting that on July 3, Putin announced a planned conversation with former U.S. President Donald Trump. Later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Trump and Putin are fundamentally different individuals, which leaves them with few shared topics to discuss.
Trump himself stated that Putin had threatened retaliatory strikes during their conversation, although it remains unclear whether the former U.S. president attempted to dissuade the Russian leader from further escalation. The Kremlin later described the conversation as “frank and constructive.” Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy advisor, noted that Trump and Putin were “on the same wavelength,” and that the Russian president made it clear that Moscow would not change its stance on Ukraine and would continue pursuing its established goals.
As for negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, the first round took place on May 16 in Istanbul, during which the parties agreed on a prisoner exchange in a “1000-for-1000” format. The second round of peace talks was also held in Istanbul on June 2.
Preparations for a third meeting are currently underway. According to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Russia has expressed its readiness to participate in a new round of negotiations, which will most likely take place again in Turkey.
Earlier we wrote that Budanov answered whether the Russian Federation will reduce the number of its armed forces after the war.