Head of the Main Intelligence Agency of the Ministry of Defense, Kyrylo Budanov, commenting on the leak of secret documents from the U.S. Department of Defense, said that there is nothing new in this kind of information war, and only the Russian Federation benefits from it.
“Russia is the only beneficiary of this,” Budanov said in an interview with ABC News in Kyiv.
Budanov confirmed that he spoke with his American colleagues shortly after the leak became known. The head of Ukrainian intelligence is confident that there is “no risk” that this issue will not damage relations between Ukraine and the United States.
Budanov also downplayed the likely impact of the data leak on the course of events on the battlefield.
“If there is a problem, it will be solved. If there is no problem, even better. This will not be able to affect the real results of the offensive operation,” he stressed.
In addition, Budanov spoke about the ability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to make progress in the upcoming counteroffensive, despite the fact that some U.S. officials have suggested that any perceived successes will probably be more modest than last year’s flash-like operation.
“What will be the results of these actions? I think that, in the near future, everyone will see and feel it,” he said.
However, Budanov admitted that the “success of this offensive operation is badly needed.” He also said that he was unaware of any demands made by the Western allies and that further support would depend on success on the battlefield.
He also told ABC News that “without victories, sooner or later, questions will be asked whether it’s worth continuing to support Ukraine.”