According to Newsmax, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, believes that Ukraine's cooperation with the United States is a decisive condition for victory over Russia. This is reported by the American publication Newsmax, writes UNN.
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The publication emphasizes that, according to Budanov, regardless of which political force is in power in the White House, the alliance between Kyiv and Washington remains a strategic foundation for deterring the aggressor and strengthening Ukrainian defense.
Even before the 2016 elections, Budanov emphasized that Ukraine would cooperate with any party that occupied the White House. He believes in America and in partnership as the key to victory. This spirit of bipartisanship is now critically important
When Russia launched a full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, many Western experts predicted the rapid fall of Kyiv. The Kremlin threw almost half a million soldiers into battle, armed with tanks, aviation, missile systems, and supported by the navy.
One of the main factors of this resistance, as noted by the American publication, was the transformation of the Main Directorate of Intelligence under the leadership of Kyrylo Budanov. Even before the invasion, he was one of the few officials who publicly warned about the imminent Russian strike. History confirmed his correctness, the publication states.
Budanov reformed the HUR into a structure capable of acting as elite hybrid forces: conducting risky operations, delivering long-range strikes, and shaping the battlefield in multiple dimensions. At the beginning of the war, it was intelligence units that thwarted the Russian attempt to capture the airport in Hostomel – a failure that saved Kyiv from encirclement. Under his leadership, special units "Kraken", "Shaman", "Artan", as well as networks of partisan movement in the occupied territories, were created.
Budanov did not remain just a strategist at headquarters – he was personally on the front line, particularly during operations in the Kharkiv region and the preparation of raids in Crimea. His units also cooperated with Russian opposition groups that entered the territory of the Belgorod and Kursk regions. Such activity brought him exceptional trust – he consistently ranks among the three most authoritative figures in Ukraine.
At the same time, the head of intelligence emphasizes: none of these successes would have been possible without US support. American satellite and electronic intelligence, combined with Ukrainian experience and tactics, created an advantage on the front that the Russian command could not effectively counter.
The meeting between Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump on August 18 in Washington confirmed that the US-Ukraine partnership retains strategic strength. According to Budanov, it is stable American assistance – technological, intelligence, and material – that is the key to Kyiv's future victory.
Moscow understands only the language of force, he emphasizes. And if Ukraine does not receive the necessary support, Russia's aggression may not be limited to its borders. Instead, Kyiv's victory will prove that democratic states are capable of acting quickly, cohesively, and effectively to counter autocracies.
America must think big, act decisively, and look far ahead. It is thanks to such cooperation that Ukraine is winning, and the West is protecting its own future