The Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, commented on the current state of contacts with Moscow in an interview on the telethon. According to him, at present, negotiations with the aggressor state are limited exclusively to issues of prisoner-of-war exchanges. “By the way, there was recently one exchange, then on Independence Day, more people were returned from the territory of Belarus. Well, and there will be another big exchange very soon,” Budanov stated, emphasizing that it is precisely these aspects that form the basis of the dialogue with Russia at the current stage.

Stopping the war is “unrealistic”

Budanov stated outright that Russia does not intend to halt combat operations along the front line and move to full-fledged peace negotiations. In his assessment, ending the war under the current conditions is unrealistic. “I think that very soon everyone will see the negotiations, but this will be more about the technical side and preparation for something bigger, for which, I hope, we will eventually get there,” the Head of the Office of the President clarified, without revealing the details of the upcoming contacts.

“Maritime options” and preparation for a major exchange

Separately, Budanov mentioned that Ukraine will be looking for “maritime options, because something needs to be done about this.” The context of this statement was not revealed on air, however the wording points to work on logistical and operational tasks related to the maritime direction. The major prisoner exchange that Budanov spoke about is planned for the near future and, according to him, will be a continuation of the series of returns that began with the exchange on Independence Day and the subsequent return of people from the territory of Belarus.

Context: mobilization and the enemy's assessment of the course of the war

Within the same cycle of statements, Budanov had earlier noted that Ukraine cannot mobilize fewer than 30,000 people into the army each month and questioned the logic of conscripting women in a situation where men of conscription age remain. In addition, the Head of the Office of the President reported that the Russian side believed that the war would end against the backdrop of the protests that took place in Ukraine last year. These assessments make it possible to trace how Kyiv interprets the strategic thinking of the adversary and its own personnel limitations.

What this means for the negotiation track

Budanov's statements confirm that a formal channel of communication between Kyiv and Moscow exists, but is reduced to the minimum possible format — humanitarian exchange. None of the sources indicates preparation for political or territorial negotiations. The wording “preparation for something bigger” remains the only reference to a possible escalation of the negotiation process, however Budanov did not name any specific deadlines, venues, or mediators. Thus, as of August 28, 2026, the publicly confirmed scope of dialogue between the parties is limited to issues of the return of prisoners of war.