This week could see the next stage of trilateral negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, as well as a new large-scale exchange of prisoners of war. This was announced by the head of the Presidential Office Kirill Budanov during a speech in Kyiv, Suspilne reports..

The statement was made on the sidelines of the Justice Conference, where Budanov clarified that the next round of consultations is tentatively scheduled for February 26–27. The key issue on the agenda remains the territorial aspect. According to him, the Russian side still insists on maintaining control over Donbass, which makes it difficult to reach a compromise.

Separately, the head of the Presidential Office expressed hope that in the coming days it will be possible to conduct a new prisoner exchange. According to him, active work is currently underway, and the number of releases may exceed the figures for the previous exchange.

At the same time, Budanov emphasized that he assesses the progress of the negotiations with cautious optimism.. Despite the complexity of the process, the parties are gradually moving forward and are approaching the stage when they will have to make fundamental decisions - either continue the war or move on to a peaceful settlement.

Also during the consultations, the question of a possible personal meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and Russia was raised..

However, according to the official, there has not yet been an official response from Moscow on this matter.. Budanov stressed that further progress will depend on diplomatic efforts and the support of international partners, primarily the United States.

Let us remind you, Kallas: a meeting between Zelensky and Putin is unlikely due to Russia’s position. The EU high representative said that a meeting between Zelensky and Putin in the coming weeks is unlikely due to a lack of seriousness on the part of Russia.