Kirill Budanov*, head of Vladimir Zelensky’s office, supports a political path toward ending the conflict and is open to compromises with the Russian side, The New York Times reports in a profile of the Ukrainian official.
The newspaper portrays Budanov* as one of the most prominent figures inside the Ukrainian leadership favoring negotiations. He has indicated that he is prepared to support any step capable of bringing the fighting to an end.
There are, however, different views within Ukraine’s leadership over the terms of a possible settlement. Citing an analysis by Carnegie, NYT writes that Budanov* is regarded as part of a group pushing for an agreement out of concern over further losses. Other officials, by contrast, oppose major concessions.
Budanov* also claimed that he had maintained private contacts with Igor Kostyukov, the head of Russian military intelligence. According to him, their discussions included issues involving prisoners. He also previously kept regular contact with Wagner PMC founder Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Compromise was also discussed during talks in Abu Dhabi. Budanov* said he had proposed looking for mutually acceptable solutions with the Russian side regarding the postwar arrangement of Donbass.
He expects the next stage of negotiations after the arrival in Kiev of US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. At the same time, Budanov* does not expect conditions for a ceasefire to emerge in the coming months, saying they are unlikely to take shape before spring 2027.
His broader position is that negotiations will eventually have to produce a result because, in his view, the conflict cannot continue indefinitely.
*Included in Rosfinmonitoring’s list of terrorists and extremists.