Russo–Ukrainian war is expected to open either at the beginning or in the middle of February 2026, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence (HUR) chief Kyrylo Budanov said on Nov. 19.

“We will be approaching this ‘window of opportunity,” Budanov told Ukrainian broadcaster Channel 24.

“In winter, I’ll put it this way, our window will reopen in mid-February. All events will align with the beginning to the middle of February.”

The spy chief’s cryptic statement came on the same day as several Western media outlets published unattributed stories about another “peace plan” being drafted by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his Russian counterpart, Kirill Dmitriev. According to these reports, the 28-point agreement is broadly aligned with Moscow’s demands, including forcing Ukraine to withdraw from Donetsk Oblast, cut its military in half, and pass legal “protections” for the Russian language and Orthodox Church.

It remains unlikely that Kyiv will agree to the proposal as is, given that withdrawing from heavily fortified towns and decimating its military would leave Ukraine much more vulnerable to further Russian aggression.

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