Budanov: talks to end war could resume in late September, but ceasefire unlikely before spring – NYT
Negotiations mediated by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to settle Russia’s war against Ukraine are expected to resume in late September, though conditions for a ceasefire are unlikely to be in place before spring, Presidential Office head Kyrylo Budanov said.
"Negotiations will lead to something sooner or later. You can’t fight your whole life," Budanov told The New York Times in an interview recorded last weekend in Kyiv.
The negotiation process is expected to resume after Russia’s parliamentary elections and a few weeks before the U.S. midterm elections, according to Budanov. He said a visit to Kyiv by Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could mark the start of a new round of talks.
At the same time, Budanov said Russia will likely try to pressure Ukraine with a new strategic winter shelling campaign, its fourth since the start of the full-scale war.