Kyrylo Budanov
Kyrylo Budanov is a Ukrainian military and intelligence official who has served as head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine since 2020. He previously held senior positions within HUR and led one of its special units, and saw combat in eastern Ukraine from 2014 onward. He has been a prominent figure in Ukraine's wartime intelligence operations and in security-related negotiations.
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Budanov reveals years of back-channel contacts with Russia's GRU chief and Prigozhin, advises Zelensky against Donbas concessions
Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview with The New York Times published on 4 September that he maintained long-running contacts with Russian military intelligence chief Admiral Igor Kostyukov and the late Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin. He advised President Volodymyr Zelensky not to accept any compromise on Donbas that would give Russia formal control over territory its military failed to seize on the battlefield.
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Trump's envoys Witkoff and Kushner to visit Moscow and Kyiv this weekend carrying war-ending proposal
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on the evening of September 4 that US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Moscow on Saturday September 5 and then to Kyiv on Sunday September 6, carrying a proposal to end the war. Zelensky said Ukraine would ensure the normal functioning of Russian airspace and refrain from strikes during the visit, and called on Russia to reciprocate with silence. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House the same day that the envoys are bringing a peace proposal and described the mission as having a good chance of success.