Ukraine peace talks: Budanov on whether Iran war is blocking negotiations
Kyrylo Budanov responded sharply to rumours that escalation in Iran had frozen Ukraine peace talks.
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Budanov spoke about whether he believes in successful talks with Russia / © Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov disagrees with the claim that the war in Iran has blocked peace talks on Ukraine.
He said this on March 26, in a conversation with journalists.
“How has it (the war in Iran — Ed.) blocked it (the negotiation process — Ed.), if I have just returned from the talks?” Budanov replied to a journalist’s question.
However, he acknowledged that global attention had shifted due to escalation in the Middle East.
“The focus of attention, of course. The more events there are in the world, the more difficult it is for us. That is also obvious,” the former intelligence chief said.
Does Budanov believe in successful negotiations?
“I never engage in matters I do not believe in. There may be different outcomes, but if you do not believe, there is no point. And I do believe,” he said.
A journalist noted that Western media often describe Donbas as the main obstacle.
“It is simply the Binomial Theorem. What do you expect? It is already obvious,” Budanov said.
His remarks suggested the meeting was held in a Ukraine-U.S. format without Russia.
In conclusion, Budanov said there was currently no problem with meeting Russian representatives.
“The problem is the final result. You are probably interested not in how many times I speak with someone, but in how it ends. Right? That’s all,” he concluded.