The forecasts of the chief military intelligence officer are no longer as optimistic, but, as he asserts, Ukraine will not lose in this war.
Here is a partial excerpt from the interview for BBC Ukraine.
About negotiations with Russia:
BBC: Is there any sense in starting negotiations in this difficult situation, in your opinion?
Kyrylo Budanov: This question is absolutely not for me. So sorry, I don't see the point in answering it.
BBC: Do you advise the president anything about it?
Kyrylo Budanov: No, absolutely not.
BBC: You have stated that ending this war is possible by returning to the borders of 1991.
Kyrylo Budanov: Yes, and nothing has changed here.
BBC: We have talked to the military, they say that in fact this will not end the war - there is a huge border to maintain, Russia will not disappear, and so on...
Kyrylo Budanov: And what? Continue this thought.
BBC: That the war will not end.
Kyrylo Budanov: It will end. It will end with this. That we will have a certain period of time - perhaps a long one. Tense situation on the borders after that? There will be. But essentially the war will end.
BBC: Even with this same military-political leadership in Russia?
Kyrylo Budanov: Even with that. There will be attempts to do something again - yes, there will be. It's normal. It's absolutely normal. Russia wants to destroy us, we don't want to be destroyed. Our desires don't match, you understand?
So this conflict will constantly arise, subside, arise again, and so on. Look at our history. We with the Russian Federation, the Russian Empire, the Moscow Kingdom, and so on - all our lives we either make peace or wage war. We won't be able to change the course of history in the future.
