Content of Tense Conversation Between Budanov and Trump's Team Revealed
Negotiations between the Ukrainian delegation and Donald Trump's special envoys in Miami, as reported by Le Monde, escalated into a conflict. According to the publication, during a three-hour meeting at the Shell Bay golf club, Steve Witkoff "with irritation" demanded that Kyrylo Budanov, head of Zelenskyy's office, cease strikes on Russian oil refineries.
Budanov, per Le Monde's information, "barely contained his anger" and felt that he was being "treated like a child, trying to teach him how to make money." The Americans presented an ambitious plan for postwar "regional prosperity," which envisioned resuming the transit of Russian oil and gas to Europe through Ukraine, with dividends paid to Kyiv.
Budanov was outraged that such a deal would tie Ukraine to Moscow, after which the negotiations broke off. When the meeting resumed, the Americans proposed accepting a deal for supplies of Russian diesel to the United States.
The publication's sources noted that they had never seen Ukrainians "so upset and alarmed." Zelenskyy's entourage described the situation as "hopeless," since Trump's envoys "think only about business."
📸: Press service of the President of Ukraine