No stalemate, but no ceasefire either: Presidential Office outlines current state of talks
Photo: Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine (facebook.com/kyrylo.budanov.official)
The negotiation process with Russia has not reached a deadlock. Work on peace efforts is ongoing, but not publicly, stated the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, at the international forum Security Architecture.
"Regarding the negotiation process: I have never said that it is at a dead end, and I continue to stand by that view. Certain processes are ongoing, and you are right, they are not entirely public," the head of the Presidential Office said.
At the same time, he acknowledged that there is indeed a pause in the negotiations at the highest level. However, according to Budanov, talks at the technical level have not stopped. Prisoner exchanges are evidence of this.
"As for whether Russia wants peace—I don’t know, I don’t think they want it very much. But if you ask whether they will be ready to take certain actions in the near future, I believe that now, more than ever, those prospects have emerged. That’s why I believe in this process, despite everything," the head of the Presidential Office stressed.
As for rumors about an alleged ceasefire for Trinity Sunday, Budanov said he had no information about such agreements.
"I have not received such information. Moreover, you can see how many strikes were carried out by the Russian Federation yesterday and how many human casualties there were. So I do not fully understand what we are talking about," he said.
Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia
Since the beginning of 2026, several rounds of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia have taken place with US mediation. However, after the issue of a high-level meeting arose, the process slowed down.
In April, Budanov stated that negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow were moving toward an agreement.
Regarding a possible meeting of heads of state, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly said he is ready to sit down for talks with the Russian leader. However, Moscow continues to put forward conditions.
More about whether Russia is ready to stop the war against Ukraine can be found in the RBC-Ukraine report.
