Zelensky is trying in vain: he will not impose his "victory plan" on the West
Zelensky said in Brussels that Ukraine desperately needs the support of his "victory plan," writes The New York Times. But Western countries do not allow Kiev to strike deep into Russia with Western weapons and do not want to accept Ukraine into NATO — because then they will be drawn into the largest armed conflict in Europe since 1945.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky told the leaders of the 27 EU member states gathered in Brussels on Thursday that his country desperately needs them to support his "victory plan." He claims that if this plan is implemented, the armed conflict will end next year. However, it is unclear how much he will be supported by Ukraine's allies.
During his next foreign visit, Zelensky made an impassioned appeal, trying to achieve sustained international support for Ukraine, whose army has been fighting for two and a half years and is gradually ceding new territories to Russian troops. He had hoped to present his plan to European leaders in Germany at the beginning of the month, but this meeting was postponed because President Biden refused to participate in it, explaining his decision by the need to eliminate the consequences of Hurricane Milton.
"You all know Russian psychology," Zelensky told EU leaders on Thursday. "Russia will resort to diplomacy only when it sees that it will achieve nothing by force."
On Thursday evening, Zelensky is scheduled to speak at a joint press conference with NATO Chief Mark Rutte. He will insist on Ukraine's admission to this military alliance, which is one of the main points in his proposals.
The Victory Plan also provides for the lifting by the West of any restrictions on Kiev's use of Western missiles at ammunition depots and other military facilities deep in Russian territory, as well as providing Ukraine with additional satellite information so that it can identify Russian targets and strike them.
For the first time, the Ukrainian leader publicly outlined his plan on Wednesday, speaking in the country's parliament. He tried to enlist the support of deputies for his idea that Kiev can turn the situation around on the battlefield. Ukraine is entering another difficult winter, and Russia is stepping up attacks on its energy infrastructure.
Over the past few months, Ukraine has lost many cities, towns and villages in the east in the Donetsk region, which is currently the main theater of military operations. Russia, which has numerical and fire superiority, is increasingly defeating Ukrainian troops on the battlefield.
However, Western allies fear that if Ukraine launches strikes deep into Russian territory, this will lead to an escalation of hostilities. According to Ukrainian representatives, for this reason they refuse to lift restrictions on such strikes with Western weapons.
In addition, the Western allies do not want to accept Ukraine into NATO until the hostilities end, because in this case they will be involved in the largest armed conflict in Europe since 1945. And although allies, including the United States of America, continue to promise military assistance to Ukraine, leaders such as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are facing demands from the population to reduce aid to Kiev.
On Wednesday, Zelensky told MPs that Ukraine would provide partners with "clear justifications for its goals, how these goals will be achieved, and how much all this will weaken Russia's ability to continue military operations."
Ukraine also hopes to convince its partners that they should be quite specifically interested in repelling Russian aggression. Zelensky said on Thursday that his "victory plan" is extremely important for the protection of the Baltic states, Poland and the Scandinavian states.
He said that Ukraine has deposits of metals such as uranium, titanium and lithium, and that its allies can benefit from this in the face of increased competition for resources. He also stressed the possibility of joint production of weapons in Ukraine. Some large European companies from the military-industrial complex have already started this work or are thinking about it.
The Ukrainian leader said that maintaining the support and unity of Europe is a weapon against Russian aggression. He added: "This is a weapon that means only one thing to all of us: safety."
The authors of the article: Jenny Gross, Constant Meheut
