Ukraine’s Defense Forces have focused their strikes inside Russia on two fronts: paralyzing oil refining and extraction, and targeting the defense industry and companies producing weapons for Russia’s military, Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, said in an interview with Il Foglio.
He said Ukraine’s long-range strikes are already producing results, as reflected in reduced exports of petroleum products and hydrocarbons.
“We have almost completely pushed them out of the gasoline export sector,” the intelligence chief said.
He added that strikes on Russia’s defense industry are also having an effect, though it is less pronounced.
A ceasefire is possible, but only if several factors align at the same time, Budanov said, emphasizing that timing and synchronization are critical.
Some Western media “predicted” a possible truce between Ukraine and Russia as early as this summer, but it didn’t happen because key conditions were missing, Budanov said.
According to him, a truce can only happen if factors line up simultaneously:
- inside Ukraine,
- inside Russia,
- among allied countries that influence global decisions.
“Only the precise combination of these elements at a planned moment will deliver results. Otherwise, the war will continue,” the intelligence chief said.
Budanov avoided questions about U.S. President Donald Trump’s position on ending the war in Ukraine. He said Russia and China are “world powers” for the United States.
“Russia is nothing from an economic standpoint but possesses military power. China is both: an economic and a military power,” Budanov explained.
On October 22 the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on Russia’s major oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil. In addition, the United States called on Russia to agree immediately to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
“We’ll see in six months”: Trump commented on sanctions against Russia.
