Ukraine’s presidential office chief says war should end soon as peace talks show progress

The head of Ukraine’s presidential administration, Kyrylo Budanov, has said peace negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow are moving toward an agreement and that the war in Ukraine may not take much longer to resolve.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Budanov said there has been progress in discussions with Russia and expressed confidence that the process would not be prolonged.

“They all understand the war needs to end. That is why negotiations are taking place. I do not think this will take a long time,” he said.

Budanov acknowledged that both sides had previously maintained “maximalist positions” in talks mediated by the United States, but said they are gradually moving toward compromise. He added 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 said.

However, he declined to comment on possible compromises regarding territorial issues, which he described as the most difficult part of any settlement.

According to Bloomberg, citing Kremlin sources, negotiations have stalled in recent stages, with both sides continuing to restate positions seen as mutually unacceptable.