On April 23, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov, took part in the Kiev Security Forum, founded by Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s Open Ukraine Foundation. The GORDON publication collected the key points of his speeches and interviews at the KSE.
About negotiating positions
Ukraine's desire for peace is “common sense, not a sign of weakness,” and the path to achieving it can be very different, he believes. At the same time, preserving the territories remains a red line that Kyiv does not intend to cross.
“No one in Ukraine will agree to admit the loss of even a millimeter of our land. The fact that we have not come to an agreement [во время переговоров]- this is absolutely clear to everyone. But that's what this one is for. [переговорный] process. He may achieve his goal, or he may not. Therefore, we must be ready and strong for any development of events,” Budanov said.
About the threat from Belarus
Budanov claims that Ukrainian intelligence is monitoring the situation in Belarus and “nothing unexpected will happen.”
“There are certain signs of threats, they may exist. This cannot be ruled out. This means – as a former leader [Главного управления разведки Минобороны Украины] I can tell you: first of all, the intelligence agencies need to increase their vigilance. They've already done it. Don't worry. “Nothing will happen unexpectedly,” the Ukrainian Air Force Service quotes him as saying.
About the “surprise” for the occupiers
Developments in the field of integrating artificial intelligence into the operation of drones will soon bring surprises to the enemy at the front, the head of the OP announced.
“In military terms, we are at a stage where the quantitative build-up of drones no longer fundamentally solves the issue. Both we and the enemy have reached a certain maximum in the use of existing control technologies. The next stage is the complete integration of artificial intelligence. We need a transition to autonomous systems that are capable of independently identifying targets and maneuvering. Ukraine already has such developments, and I am sure that very soon they will become a surprise for the enemy,” he promised in an interview broadcast by Suspilne.
On the consequences of Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries
“Russia is receiving a blow to its image – this is the most important thing. These are our oil sanctions [удары по РФ] will end someday when the war ends. But the blow to the image will last for a very long time, because it is called into question [статус] Russia as a reliable supplier,” he explained.
About mobilization in Ukraine
In the conditions of a full-scale invasion, Ukraine cannot refuse mobilization, Budanov stated and mentioned cases of violations by the military during the notification, as well as “millions of draft dodgers.”
“The only thing that we can actually try to reform is the manifestations of inhumane treatment of people during forced conscription, but it is precisely the manifestations of inhumane treatment, and not the fact of conscription itself,” he said.
On the legalization of weapons
The head of the OP stated that he is against the free ownership of weapons in Ukraine, believing that this is an “imaginary protection” that turns into the spread of violence.
“This has never worked and will never work. Don’t forget that there are always two sides to this. The first is supposedly imaginary protection. The other side is that the number of cases that everyone saw a few days ago can become many times greater with this configuration,” he said.
