Budanov: «We will find a solution for Donbas that satisfies Ukraine»

Kirill Budanov, Head of the President’s Office. Screenshot from the broadcast of the Kyiv Security Forum

Ukraine has no intention of «bargaining away» its territory in negotiations and will find a solution regarding Donbas that suits the Ukrainian side.

This was stated by the Head of the President’s Office, Kyrylo Budanov, during the Kyiv Security Forum, according to NikVesti.

Kyrylo Budanov was asked a question regarding Donbas: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned of a possible offensive by the Russian army and increased pressure from the American side, so are there any proposals to cede Donbas?

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The Head of the President’s Office replied that certain aspects of the negotiations cannot be disclosed.

«Let me repeat myself. So, all the real aspects—not the problematic ones, but the sensitive aspects—cannot be disclosed until the negotiations are concluded. Otherwise, what is the point of these negotiations? One can simply exchange views on television, as, incidentally, Lavrov does from time to time,» replied Kyrylo Budanov.

At the same time, he emphasised regarding Donbas that no one intends to trade away Ukrainian territory.

«The red line is simple, I think, and clear to everyone. Firstly, we recognise nothing. That will not happen, no matter who tries. And it simply won’t happen. Don’t even dream of it. As for Donbas, I am sure we will find a solution that satisfies us first and foremost, because this is our land. And no one here has the right to trade away land. That will not happen,» stated the Head of the President’s Office.

According to him, Ukraine must remain united for the state to survive.

«What should we do? Again, I won’t tell you anything new. We are in a situation where, if we are weak, no one will even bother to talk to us. Our strength, our inner strength, is our unity. Our external strength — yes, that involves working with partners, allies, sympathisers and so on. But our inner strength is our unity; it is our resilience and our ability to fight. If we are divided from within, nothing else matters at all. You could send a million tanks, drones and planes here, but if there is no unity, it simply won’t work. That is the most important thing. And unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, in these times we must all unite, whether we like one another or not, in order to achieve our goal. And our goal is the survival of our state and securing its future. That is why we must all now unite around a clear chain of command led by the President of Ukraine. There is no other option. Anything else will simply lead us to disaster,» said Kyrylo Budanov.

It should be recalled that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is ready for trilateral talks with the US and Russia in Azerbaijan, provided that Russia is prepared for diplomacy.