Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, said on Monday he believed agreeing a deal to finish the war against Russia by winter was a “realistic” end result.
Zelenskyy said in an interview aired on Sunday that he desired to press on with talks on securing peace with Russia, which have stalled in recent months, before the onset of winter to take account of Kyiv’s improved strategic position.
Talks brokered by america on moving toward a peace accord have ground to a halt as Washington has focused on the conflict in Iran.
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Budanov said he expected a U.S. delegation to go to Moscow and Kyiv within the near future, without giving details.
“That is the president’s instruction: to attempt to end this war as soon as possible … preferably before winter,” he told reporters at a press conference. “For my part, this is totally correct, timely, and realistic.”
Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials have said the advance of Russian forces has slowed on the bottom while Ukraine has intensified a campaign of long-range strikes inside Russia, targeting mainly the oil industry.
A senior Ukrainian commander said last week that Ukraine had a six-month window wherein to seize the battlefield initiative and strengthen its hand for peace talks.