It is possible for the active phase of Russia’s war in Ukraine to end in 2026, though another period of escalation is likely to precede the calm, according to Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office.“There is still a chance, and negotiations were progressing well in the spring. Now we have all entered a phase of escalation,” Budanov told RBC-Ukraine in an interview published on Tuesday.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“To move toward de-escalation, escalation usually has to reach its peak,” he added.Budanov, who previously served as the chief of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR), said that negotiations could continue if both sides remain interested.Budanov previously said in June that ending the “hot phase” of the war before winter was also a task set by President Volodymyr Zelensky.However, the head of the Presidential Office dismissed any possibility of Ukraine making territorial compromises to end the war and rejected suggestions that political or constitutional concessions could satisfy Moscow.“Do you really think that making Russian a second state language would make them return Crimea?” he asked rhetorically.According to him, any settlement will ultimately depend on both military and diplomatic efforts.“The battlefield can never be separated from negotiations,” Budanov said.When asked about US President Donald Trump, Budanov said continued battlefield success is essential to maintaining US support.