KYIV, June 1 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, said on Monday he believed agreeing a deal to end the war against Russia by winter was a “realistic” outcome.
Zelenskiy said in an interview aired on Sunday that he wanted 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 the United States on moving toward a peace accord have ground to a halt as Washington has focused on the conflict in Iran.
Budanov said he expected a U.S. delegation to visit Moscow and Kyiv in the near future, without giving details.
“This is the president’s instruction: to try to end this war as soon as possible … preferably before winter,” he told reporters at a press conference. “In my opinion, this is absolutely correct, timely, and realistic.”
Zelenskiy and other Ukrainian officials have said the advance of Russian forces has slowed on the ground 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 in which to seize the battlefield initiative and strengthen its hand for peace talks.
(Reporting by Max Hunder; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
