{"id":1345259,"date":"2026-04-10T10:35:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T07:35:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/?p=1345259"},"modified":"2026-04-10T11:42:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T08:42:53","slug":"ukraine-can-t-halt-strikes-on-russian-refineries-while-war-continues-interview-with-budanov","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uatv.ua\/en\/ukraine-can-t-halt-strikes-on-russian-refineries-while-war-continues-interview-with-budanov\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine Can\u2019t Halt Strikes on Russian Refineries While War Continues, – Interview with Budanov"},"content":{"rendered":"

Expectations of a major prisoner exchange around Easter, continued attacks on Russian infrastructure, and overcoming the political crisis in parliament \u2014 Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov<\/strong>, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, spoke about this and more in an interview with correspondents from Ukrinform<\/a>, Novyny.LIVE<\/a> and FREE\u0414OM<\/a>, UATV English reports.<\/a><\/p>\n

Why drones will not replace infantry, how the war in the Middle East is helping the aggressor, and whether a meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin is possible to put a \u201cfinal point\u201d to the war \u2014 read in our material.<\/p>\n

\u2014 The main questions to you, of course, concern the negotiation process. You previously said it is ongoing and not frozen. What stage is it at now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 You have essentially answered your own question: it is ongoing, it is not frozen. It will continue. We hope and expect the arrival of the American delegation \u2014 the President of Ukraine also announced this publicly today. So we hope for the best.<\/p>\n

\u2014 The President said at the Congress of local and regional authorities that members of the American delegation involved in the negotiation process will likely come after Easter. That\u2019s a rather vague timeframe. Can you explain the period?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 Roughly a week after Easter. That\u2019s not long.<\/p>\n

\u2014 It\u2019s clear there are contacts with the Americans, but are there contacts with the Russians now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 Yes. There are about the issues we are working on. At the same time, we all hope for an exchange soon. That is also part of the discussion. Exchanges don\u2019t happen by themselves \u2014 they need to be organized.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Easter is also a time when Ukrainians hope for good news regarding prisoner exchanges. We know such exchanges are never announced in advance, but should we expect positive news?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 We hope so. A day before or a day after \u2014 it can be expected. We are all waiting.<\/p>\n

\u2014 As a member of the negotiation group, do you think there is a chance that talks in a trilateral format will resume?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 Yes. You understand that we cannot put a final point \u2014 neither positive nor negative \u2014 without a personal meeting of the leaders. The Russians understand this as well. Believe me, it will happen one way or another.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Do you mean a meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 Leaders must ultimately put the final point. Let\u2019s hope for that.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Our deep strikes are happening daily \u2014 we are hitting Russian infrastructure every day. How does this affect the negotiation process? Do the Russians complain that there are too many strikes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 No, they don\u2019t complain. They wouldn\u2019t \u2014 that would mean admitting weakness. But it does affect them, and they constantly point to this in their reports. It is a problem for them. Just as their strikes are a problem for us.<\/p>\n

\u2014 How has the war in the Middle East affected Russia\u2019s ability to continue fighting?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 To some extent, it has benefited them \u2014 you understand this as well. Mainly due to the sharp increase in oil prices. Some of their entities have effectively moved out from under sanctions, which has also boosted their optimism. The price spike is a huge plus for them. Unfortunately, our strikes on their refineries cannot fully offset that. But they definitely impact Russia\u2019s oil and gas sector.<\/p>\n

We cannot afford to stop them while the war continues.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Western partners have asked Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil terminals, however Kyiv continues to act in its own national interests. <\/p>\n

\u201cI can only speak in general terms: yes, such requests do exist. Why is this happening? You can understand it as well \u2014 it is a matter of pricing. But we have our own war. Their position is understandable, it is their truth, but there is also our truth and our national interest. And it is exactly as it is. We are not stopping,\u201d Budanov said in response to FREE\u0414OM<\/a> correspondent question.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

DRONES WILL NOT WIN THE WAR FOR US<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u2014 Russia is suffering heavy personnel losses every month \u2014 around 30\u201335 thousand. Our strategic goal is 50,000. How far are we from that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 You just named the number yourself.<\/p>\n

\u2014 What do we need to reach this goal? More drones?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 I am not a fan of the idea that drones will win this war for us. Wars are not won without people. They can be lost without people \u2014 that happens. But winning without people is impossible.<\/p>\n

UNITY HAS BEEN SEEN THREE TIMES IN HISTORY<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Budanov noted that he has seen real national unity only three times:<\/p>\n