Senior Ukrainian official expects ‘technical talks’ on Russia’s war soon

KYIV, Aug 28 (Reuters) – Ukraine’s top presidential adviser said on Friday that technical talks on Russia’s war would likely take place in the near future but added that he did not expect any swift agreement.

“I think everyone will see the negotiations happening very soon. But this will mainly concern the technical side of things and preparations for something big, which I hope we will eventually get to,” Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview for YouTube project “Moseichuk+”. 

U.S.-backed peace talks have so far led to no tangible results to end a war now in its fifth year. The last round of trilateral negotiations took place in February. 

Asked if fighting would drag on through the winter, Budanov said it was “unrealistic” to expect the war to end now.

In recent months, both sides have significantly stepped up attacks on logistics, port infrastructure and energy facilities. Russia is also expected to renew its relentless campaign against Ukraine’s power grid as winter approaches. 

Ukraine and Russia need to reach a point where they are ready to simultaneously take a step toward each other, said Budanov, who is his country’s representative at the talks, adding that Kyiv was open to this.

“And as of now, the Russian Federation — and I’m telling you this as someone who is deeply involved in this process — is saying outright, ‘we might want to but no’.”

Russia’s key demand is Ukraine’s withdrawal from the eastern Donbas area, which Russian troops have not managed to fully occupy during their more than four-year full-scale invasion. Kyiv says it will not cede territory it still controls. 

(Reporting by Yuliia DysaEditing by Gareth Jones)