Budanov was asked about the secret talks in Abu Dhabi: All negotiations should be in the shadows

Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR) Kyrylo Budanov said that "all negotiations should be in the shadows," commenting on information about secret November talks in the United Arab Emirates. The military leader said this in the comments on the sidelines of the second military prayer breakfast.

Budanov, who was asked to confirm the information about the secret talks in Abu Dhabi, said that silence is necessary for any sensitive processes.

"All negotiations should be in the shadows, so to speak. Otherwise, they will not be successful. Like it or not, we can simply disrupt them. So wait," the HUR chief said.

Earlier, on November 25, sources from the American media outlet Axios said that a Ukrainian delegation led by Budanov had been in Abu Dhabi and held talks with both the United States and Russia.

One of the interlocutors pointed out that the heads of Ukrainian and Russian military intelligence were supposed to meet in the UAE on a different topic, but the arrival of the U.S. Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll changed the original plan and "came as a surprise" to the parties.

• On December 6, following a new round of negotiations on a peace plan, the head of the Ukrainian delegation and NSDC secretary Umerov said that Ukraine and the United States had agreed on framework of security arrangements.