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Russians offered Budanov to travel to Moscow after Geneva talks - NYT

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov

04 September 2026 16:56 (UTC +04:00)

After the latest round of peace talks concluded earlier this year, the Russian side unexpectedly offered the Ukrainian delegation to continue the negotiations in Moscow, The New York Times reports.

“I am a military intelligence officer. All my life, I have been engaged in dialogue and communications. This is not difficult for me,” said Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov.

Budanov said that negotiations began after Trump came to power, but following the US and Israeli attack on Iran, Washington’s attention shifted to Iran.

According to him, however, behind-the-scenes negotiations with Russia continued.

He noted that Ukraine had been offered a proposal under which Donbas would be administered by a “Peace Chamber,” or that the idea of establishing a joint Russian-Ukrainian civilian administration in Donbas had been put forward.

Budanov noted that he had advised Zelenskyy not to make concessions over Donbas. In his view, if this had happened, Russia would have easily gained what it had been unable to achieve militarily.