Three years of reporting, funded by our readers — become a member now and help us prepare for 2025.
Goal: 1,000 new members for our birthday. Gift a membership to your friend and help us prepare for what 2025 might bring.
Become a member Gift membership
Skip to content
Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) chief Kyrylo Budanov during a meeting with the relatives of Ukrainian prisoners of war who Russia claims were on the Il-76 transport plane that crashed over Russia's Belgorod Oblast, on Jan. 26, 2024. (Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War/Facebook)
This audio is created with AI assistance

There is no point in peace talks because the only option is to reclaim occupied territory, Ukraine's Military Intelligence Chief Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer published June 23.

"We have no option but to get back what was occupied. Otherwise, the state of war will go on forever," Budanov told the paper.

Ukraine held a peace summit in Switzerland earlier this month to rally support for its peace formula, which includes restoring its national borders. Russia was not invited to the event in Switzerland.

During the interview, the military intelligence chief also expressed a belief that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not use tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield.

"What use would it have? We don’t have big concentrations of troops for which such nuclear weapons would be appropriate," Budanov said, adding that breaking through Ukrainian defense lines could be done with conventional weapons, avoiding large political risks.

Budanov also spoke of the need to use long-range weapons to attack Russian soil, which Ukraine has increasingly done in recent months. Additionally, Budanov said he believes that long-range ATACMS missiles could be used to destroy the Kerch Bridge.

Russia claims Ukraine attacked Sevastopol with 5 ATACMS missiles, killing 3
Russian Defense Ministry claimed on June 23 that Ukraine had launched an attack against Sevastopol, a city in Russian-occupied Crimea, with five U.S.-made long-range ATACMS missiles.

The bridge connects the Russian mainland with the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula and has long been a crucial supply route for the Russian military in Ukraine.

Construction on the 19-kilometer-long bridge began after the illegal 2014 annexation of Crimea and was completed in 2018.

The bridge was heavily damaged in Ukrainian strikes in October 2022 and July 2023. However, Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk said earlier this month that its destruction would no longer be as effective militarily, as Russia no longer relies on it as heavily for military purposes.

In the interview, Budanov also discussed a possible win by Donald Trump in the upcoming U.S. presidential elections, describing his attitude toward such an event as "calm": "Your elections are very unpredictable. If you analyze his public speeches, he has changed his position several times. And the power of your system is that it doesn’t allow one individual to make decisions unilaterally."

Three years of reporting, funded by our readers.
Millions read the Kyiv Independent, but only one in 10,000 readers makes a financial contribution. Thanks to our community we've been able to keep our reporting free and accessible to everyone. For our third birthday, we're looking for 1,000 new members to help fund our mission and to help us prepare for what 2025 might bring.
Three years. Millions of readers. All thanks to 12,000 supporters.
It’s thanks to readers like you that we can celebrate another birthday this November. We’re looking for another 1,000 members to help fund our mission, keep our journalism accessible for all, and prepare for whatever 2025 might bring. Consider gifting a membership today or help us spread the word.
Help us get 1,000 new members!
Become a member Gift membership
visa masterCard americanExpress

News Feed

7:31 PM

Putin cuts payments for wounded in war against Ukraine.

The current maximum amount of compensation is 3 million rubles (nearly $29,000), but the severity of the injury is not considered for its allocation. The change approved by Putin classifies injuries into three categories.
10:00 AM

US says North Korean troops join combat alongside Russia.

"Today I can confirm that over 10,000 (North Korean) soldiers have been sent to eastern Russia, and most of them have moved to the far western Kursk Oblast, where they have begun engaging in combat operations with Russian forces," spokesperson Vedant Patel said.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.