A truce with Russia must be brokered as soon as possible, Kirill Budanov has said

A ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine must be reached by the end of the year, the head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Kirill Budanov, said in an interview with Bloomberg published on Friday.

He made the remarks as Ukrainian troops steadily lose ground along different sections of the front line, and after the 2024 incursion into Russia's Kursk Region ended in costly failure. The Ukrainian army has also been struggling to bring in new conscripts.

Budanov told Bloomberg that "a ceasefire must be reached as soon as possible and well before the end of this year."

"Is it realistic to do so? Yes. Is it difficult? No," he said. "It takes at least three sides - Ukraine, Russia, and the US. And we will get to this position."

Moscow has rejected the proposal for an immediate and unconditional truce, insisting that Kiev and its Western backers must first agree to several demands, including the withdrawal of troops from Russian territory claimed by Ukraine, an end to Ukraine's mobilization campaign, and a halt to foreign military aid.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also accused Ukraine of seeking a pause in the fighting to rearm and regroup its forces. Moscow has also warned that it will not accept the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine, even if they are deployed under the guise of peacekeepers.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said this week that the sides are working to arrange a third round of direct talks in Türkiye. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said at a summit in Rome on Thursday that the countries must first complete the prisoner swaps agreed to in Istanbul on June 2.

(RT.com)