Kyrylo Budanov, head of the President's Office of Ukraine, revealed in an interview with Latvian television what he considers the most realistic scenario for ending the conflict with Russia. Speaking on air, he outlined the specific parameters of a possible cessation of hostilities and underscored Kyiv's principled position on territorial integrity.
A halt along the de facto front line
"My subjective opinion is that the most realistic option for ending the war or, at the very least, a cessation of hostilities — with security guarantees for Ukraine — would be along the de facto front line as of the day an agreement is reached," Budanov stated. In other words, this is not about some abstract "peace," but about freezing the status quo as of a specific date on which a key agreement of significance to Ukraine is reached. Budanov called security guarantees a vital element of the scenario, without which, in his words, any ceasefire loses its durability.
The red line: no legal recognition of renouncing territories
In response to a question about the legal status of the territories, Budanov was categorical: "That will not happen, and no one will do it." He emphasized that a cessation of hostilities is not equivalent to Ukraine legally recognizing the renunciation of any part of its state territory. This is a fundamental distinction between the de facto halt to firing and the legal consequences of the conflict, which, by Kyiv's design, allows sovereignty and territorial integrity to be preserved in the international legal sphere.
Context: visit by Trump's special envoys to Kyiv
Budanov's remarks came against the backdrop of active diplomatic engagement by Washington. On September 6, U.S. President's special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Kyiv for the first time. The day before, on September 5, they held a three-hour meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. According to Donald Trump, the envoys carried out of Moscow a proposal for ending the war, and during the talks in Kyiv a significant part of the discussion was devoted to the upcoming winter and the associated risks for both sides.
What this means for the negotiation track
The position voiced by Budanov effectively formulates the minimally acceptable version of "freezing" the conflict for Kyiv: fixing the line of contact without changing the legal status of the territories and with external security guarantees in place. The combination of these conditions,叠加 on the diplomatic impetus from the visit of the American special envoys, indicates that a concrete framework for discussion is taking shape on the negotiation track, even if a final agreement has not yet been reached.
