Top Zelenskiy Adviser Says Russia-Ukraine Inching Toward Peace

A top adviser to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said negotiators are inching closer to a peace deal with Russia. “They all understand the war needs to end,” Kyrylo Budanov told us in an interview. “I don’t think it will be long.”

The optimism follows a joint Russian-Ukraine commitment to observe a ceasefire over the Orthodox Easter holiday. While Budanov remained mum over the potential contours of an agreement, the suggestion of progress will likely be welcomed by US envoys seeking to mediate a deal. Defense stocks tumbled on the news.