Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has presented his much awaited “victory plan” and urged his supporters to act quickly to support Kyiv at a critical juncture in an effort to end the conflict with Russia next year, reports RTE.
He told parliament that his offer included five key criteria that were within his partners’ grasp, including arms support and an unconditional invitation to join NATO immediately, as Moscow’s forces advance in the east and a dismal winter of power outages approaches.
He stated that Ukrainian troops might improve NATO security and partially replace US military in Europe in exchange for a Western role in exploiting Ukraine’s natural mineral riches.
“Together with our partners, we must change the circumstances so that the war ends. Regardless of what Putin wants. We must all change the circumstances so that Russia is forced to peace,” he told lawmakers and top officials, reports RTE.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, claimed that the strategy was driving NATO closer to war with Russia.
Ms. Zakharova claimed that the Ukrainian people will suffer greatly as a result of the plan that Mr. Zelensky presented to his parliament, reports RTE.
The Kremlin has previously stated that Kyiv needs to “sober up” and recognise the pointlessness of its current course of action.
Although he seemed to admit in his address that other friends had a different vision for the war’s conclusion, Mr. Zelensky, who has consistently demanded a “fair” resolution to the conflict, claims his approach is necessary to compel the Kremlin to engage in sincere negotiations.
“We hear the word ‘negotiations’ from partners and the word ‘justice’ much less often. Ukraine is open to diplomacy, but honest (diplomacy),” he said, reports RTE.
His strategy called for the establishment of a “comprehensive non-nuclear strategic deterrence package” inside Ukraine in order to neutralise Russia’s military might and defend against its threats.
He stated that there was another secret addendum that he was unable to reveal, but he gave no further details, reports RTE.
He noted that the plan called for post-war rebuilding commitments and a Western investment in and collaborative defence of Ukraine’s natural mineral resources against Russian aggression.
As they navigate concerns of a military “escalation” against a country with the greatest nuclear arsenal in the world, Kyiv’s main allies have contributed billions of dollars in armaments to defend Ukraine, and the plan is a significant test of their political resolve.
NATO has stated that Ukraine is on its way to becoming a member, but it has not sent an invitation, reports RTE.
The Kremlin stated that Kyiv needed to “sober up” and see the pointlessness of the policies it was pursuing, but that it was too soon to comment in detail on Mr. Zelensky’s idea.
Mr. Zelensky said that North Korean munitions and people shipments had bolstered Russia’s own military effort, reports RTE.
Moscow refuted claims made by the West and Ukraine earlier this year that Iran had provided Russia close-range ballistic missiles.
Despite being outnumbered, Ukraine’s exhausted military has been unable to stop Moscow’s troops from advancing eastward, capturing destroyed hamlet after village and posing a danger to Pokrovsk, the country’s logistical centre, reports RTE.
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