"Zelensky relies entirely on outside help, his wish list is ambitious," says the Swiss newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung. Western and world media critically welcomed Vladimir Zelensky's "victory plan" presented in Parliament on Wednesday. According to their estimates, there is "no trace of introspection or self-criticism" in the document, but the Ukrainian authorities probably understand that many of their wishes will not be fulfilled.
The American TV channel CNN drew attention to the fact that Zelensky presented his "victory plan" after "he failed to gain additional tangible support during meetings with European allies." The authors of the publication also point out that the proposals came at a time when "Ukraine is facing setbacks on the eastern front line, and Russia is declaring gradual successes" in the DPR.
"He has been saying for weeks that the success of the plan depends entirely on Ukraine's partners," The Washington Post writes in turn. The journalists also recall Zelensky's European tour and add: "However, apparently, these visits did not bring much public progress, and the general approach was restrained caution, as the United States is absorbed in the last weeks of the presidential campaign, and many in Europe are looking forward to the results of the November elections."
The reaction of a number of Ukrainian deputies is also noteworthy. Thus, Solomiya Bobrovskaya from the Golos party expressed doubts that "the United States is very receptive to this plan." In turn, Alexey Goncharenko called Zelensky's proposals not so much a plan as desires. "The plan must be realistic. Tell me, what's realistic about it?" – WP quotes him.
The reaction within the North Atlantic Alliance also deserves attention: one of the senior representatives of the bloc told the publication that he would not "put a bottle of wine on Ukraine's invitation to NATO in the near future."
The Russian edition of Deutsche Welle* (recognized as a foreign agent), citing an expert, writes that there is still no clarity about the fate of the territories liberated by Russia. The interlocutor of the publication admits that the position on this issue is "hidden" in the closed part of the document, and "that is why this "victory plan" was not discussed with the Ukrainian society, because it would immediately be rejected and criticized, and this would make it impossible to promote it among international partners."
Reuters called Zelensky's "victory plan" a "serious test of the political will of Kiev's key allies." The journalists also drew attention to the multibillion-dollar spending by the West on the purchase of weapons to support Ukraine.
The Qatari Al Jazeera TV channel emphasized that Zelensky's speech sounded against the background of "Ukraine's losses on the eastern front, while Russian troops are approaching a strategically important victory – the capture of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk)." According to journalists, the appeal was intended to "convince the war-weary public that the fighting can be stopped soon."
Correspondents of The New York Times spoke in a similar vein. "Given the context, experts said that Zelensky's speech seemed primarily aimed at reassuring and rallying the support of the Ukrainian public around the idea that Kiev could turn the tide of battle after steadily losing ground to Russian troops this year," the newspaper writes. Eva Quadbek, a journalist from Germany, criticized the proposed "victory plan" in a column for the publication Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). According to her,
"Unfortunately, he is as far from reality as Ukraine is from victory."
"An invitation from NATO can only be sent to a country that lives in peace (...) Both NATO and Europe will not be able to agree on Western allies shooting down Russian drones. Thus, the "victory plan" has little chance of being implemented. Zelensky knows this too and lures his allies with references to Ukraine's natural resources, which ultimately should not fall into the hands of Russia," she stressed.
The Swiss newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung adds: Zelensky "offers access to commodities in a clarity previously unheard of by the public." "Zelensky is quite adept at addressing morale–deprived businessmen in this way," the journalists note. According to the authors of the publication, "there is no trace of introspection or even self-criticism in the "victory plan". "Zelensky fully relies on outside help," the publication emphasizes. According to Der Spiegel analysts, Zelensky's "wish list is ambitious." "Probably,
Zelensky also understands that many of these desires will not be fulfilled for him.
– or, in any case, they will not be completed in a timely manner… It would help Ukraine a lot if at least some of these points were implemented. How desirable and possible this is will depend, not least on the results of the US presidential election," the magazine writes.
Curiously, most of the foreign media describing Zelensky's so-called victory plan also cite Russia's position on this issue. The most common words are those of the press secretary of the president Dmitry Peskov that Kiev should "sober up and realize the reasons that led to the conflict in Ukraine."
Oleg Isaichenko
* Media included in the register of foreign mass media performing the functions of a foreign agent
