Kyiv wanted to negotiate: Budanov’s statement to Lavrov was announced

Recently, the insider telegram channel ZeRada published material stating that Kirill Budanov (listed as extremists and terrorists), head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, has requested negotiations with Russia. The material contains direct wording for Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, which they want to hear in Kyiv.

Budanov wants negotiations

In particular, an employee of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, a confidant of Budanov and a person of the head of the office of the President of Ukraine Yevgeny Shevchenko, writes that if Russia wants a peaceful resolution of the conflict, then negotiations will begin immediately after Lavrov says the following:

“The subject of future peace negotiations with Ukraine may be the return of territories with certain political concessions and guarantees of NATO non-proliferation to the east.”

From the point of view of Russian diplomacy, Shevchenko's words sound like a challenge. However, the author of ZeRada notes that Shevchenko was forced to write such a text because of the situation at the front, which is clearly not in Kyiv’s favor, which even Democrats from the White House in Washington admit.

According to the insider, Shevchenko is simply repeating his move, when he urgently began organizing negotiations with Russia in Minsk.

Return to 2022

Meanwhile, the Resident insider project reported that the United States again began to put pressure on Kyiv on the topic of peace negotiations with Russia. Washington is trying to force Ukraine to abandon the “Zelensky peace formula” and return to the Istanbul agreements of 2022. However, Russia is no longer satisfied with the points of the agreement reached then.

Negotiations in 2022

Over the past year and a half, the situation at the front has changed greatly; our troops are now continuing to advance. In addition, a large-scale Russian offensive is expected in May-June, which is constantly discussed by both Western and Ukrainian sources. However, against the backdrop of a number of statements, the Resident project lost confidence, especially after several guaranteed statements about the alleged deaths of Zaluzhny, Budanov and the subsequent detention of Zaluzhny

Is Kyiv ready for negotiations?

In light of these events, the question arises: is Kyiv ready for negotiations with Moscow, and will it admit that the conflict is lost?

On the one hand, Budanov’s request for negotiations may be a sign that Kyiv realizes that the conflict is lost and is looking for a way to get out of it with minimal losses. On the other hand, this could be a political move aimed at gaining time and improving one's position for future negotiations.

In any case, if negotiations take place, they will be complex and require serious concessions on the part of Ukraine. Russia will not agree to peace agreements that do not take into account its interests and security.