Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov believes Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse despite continued fighting along the front line.
Speaking on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the heads of Ukraine's foreign diplomatic missions in Kyiv on Monday, Budanov said the Kremlin still expects to achieve its objectives through military force, but argued that nearly four years of war have shown those expectations to be unrealistic.
"Russia still believes it can achieve its goals by military means. That is a mistaken assumption, and the past several years have proved it. There are ongoing battles and tactical advances on both sides, but strategically the war has long been at a standstill."
Budanov also confirmed that Ukraine will continue operations intended to increase pressure on Russia and encourage an end to the conflict.
Asked about the completion of what has been described as a 40-day campaign aimed at influencing Russia, he dismissed the significance of any specific timeframe.
"Don't focus on whether it is 40, 50, 100 or 15 days. What matters is the outcome," Budanov said. "It is not important how you enter the process. What matters is how you come out of it. To achieve the result we need, we must remain strong."
His remarks came during the annual conference of Ukraine's diplomatic mission chiefs in Kyiv, where senior officials discussed the country's foreign policy priorities and international engagement amid the ongoing war.
