The Ukrainian leader’s so-called “victory plan” lays out Ukraine’s preconditions for a cease-fire deal, designed to strengthen its hand in any future negotiations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to unveil his plan to win the war against Russia to Ukrainian parliament on Wednesday, following a tour of the plan to Western allies who were less than enthused.
The so-called “victory plan” — which outlines the conditions under which Ukraine would be prepared to negotiate peace — is considered by many as Ukraine’s last resort to strengthen its hand in any future cease-fire negotiations with Russia.
No country however has thus far publicly endorsed or commented on it, with several European leaders presented with Zelenskyy’s proposals as he toured European capitals from London to Berlin.
None gave indication they would support the plan, with some expressing concerns over the tight deadline set by Zelenskyy, who gave allies just three months to adopt the blueprint’s main tenets in late September.
Zelenskyy is set to present the plan to the European Council on Thursday, according to President Charles Michel.
US President Joe Biden, to whom Zelenskyy first promoted the plan on a tour of the US, has also not given much public encouragement.
Although the Ukrainian leader has kept quiet about the details of the plan, some aspects of it have come to light.
Making Ukraine a member of NATO; allowing the country to use Western long-range weapons to strike deep inside Russia; providing resources to strengthen Ukraine’s air and other defences, and intensifying sanctions against Russia are all core elements of the plan.
Zelenskyy has said that the plan is necessary for Ukraine to begin the process to negotiate peace.
The leader wants to put the “victory plan” in place before a new US president is sworn in next year, following remarks from presidential candidate Donald Trump that he would cut or significantly reduce funding to Ukraine.
The Ukrainian leader’s presentation of the plan to the country’s Parliament, announced on Monday by advisor to Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Serhii Leshchenko, comes as the country’s military is suffering heavy losses along its eastern front as Russian forces inch closer to the eastern city of Pokrovsk.
Kyiv has long been militarily outnumbered by Moscow, with limited ammunition stocks and difficulty mobilising troops to fight in the war.
Ukrainian officials were expecting feedback from Western allies at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, during which defence leaders from 50-plus partner nations gather to coordinate weapons aid for the war. Scheduled for this past weekend, the summit was postponed after Biden cancelled his attendance in response to Hurricane Milton in the US
Although the US has been one of Kyiv’s main backers, Biden has been less supportive over using long-range weapons to strike in Russia, fearing a possible escalation.
Many expect Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris to continue Biden’s policy and maintain the status quo. Under Biden, US assistance to Kyiv, though substantial, has consistently arrived too late to make a significant difference for Ukrainian forces.
Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump has claimed he would end the war, although he has not elaborated on how.
Meanwhile, Brazil and China have proposed alternate peace plans that Zelenskyy has rejected, saying they would merely pause the war and give Moscow time to consolidate its battered army and defence industry.
Video editor • Evelyn Ann-Marie Dom
Additional sources • AP
