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Russia is unable to achieve its initial objectives in the war against Ukraine and is therefore “lowering the bar” and putting forward new demands.
This was stated by Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Office of the President, during the Kyiv Stratcom Forum 2026.
“As time passes, and under the influence of the unpleasant reality they are facing, they are forced to find answers for their society. And each time, this bar is lowered. Everyone can see it,” Budanov said.
According to him, at the beginning the Russian army declared its goal as “taking Kyiv in three days,” but later this narrative shifted to “Donbas at any cost.”
He noted that about a week ago a new narrative appeared — the demand that Ukraine remain a non-nuclear state and not join any military alliances.
“This is already a new goal, meaning the bar is lowered a bit more. This is normal, because time is passing, and clearly, since we are talking here now, the goal has not been achieved,” he said.
Budanov believes Russian forces are gradually preparing their domestic audience to accept the idea that Ukraine’s non-aligned status could be presented as a form of “victory.”
“So they begin saying: we will achieve that they remain non-aligned. That’s also a victory. So this is a completely normal transformation,” he added.
According to earlier reports by the Financial Times, Russian military leadership allegedly promised Vladimir Putin to capture Donbas by autumn, reporting that the Ukrainian army is exhausted and the front line is weakening.
However, sources cited by the publication claim Putin’s ambitions are much broader, with the ultimate goal being control over Ukraine along the Dnipro River, including Kyiv and Odesa.
The Office of the President of Ukraine does not exclude the possibility that Putin could declare general mobilization in Russia after the State Duma elections scheduled for this autumn.
