Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unveiled his “victory plan”during a highly anticipated speech in which he ruled out any territorial concession to Russia and called on the West to invite it into NATO.
This plan is on the agenda of the NATO ministerial meeting which begins Thursday in Brussels, its Secretary General Mark Rutte subsequently announced.
Russian diplomacy has accused Mr. Zelensky of ” push “ the countries of the Atlantic Alliance to “come into direct conflict” with Moscow.
Moscow has brushed aside the Ukrainian leader’s proposals aimed at obtaining, in particular, the deployment of non-nuclear deterrent means in Ukraine.
“The only peace plan that can be is the understanding by the kyiv regime that its policy is without perspective and that it is necessary to wake up”Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov told the press.
After months of secret preparation and an express European tour, Mr. Zelensky presented his plan to Parliament, supposed to result in a “fair and quick end” of war during 2025, rejecting the idea of ceding territories to Moscow in exchange for peace, despite a critical lack of men and resources.
“Russia must lose the war against Ukraine. There can be no +frost+ (from the front). There can be no exchange regarding the territory of Ukraine or its sovereignty”he insisted.
kyiv and its allies must “force Russia to participate in a peace summit”he insisted, in reference to a conference that he would like to organize in November, but whose holding remains uncertain.
Russia would be invited, unlike a first edition in June. For Mr. Zelensky, it is about giving Moscow the choice between “an honest diplomatic process”or face the means of military deterrence that Ukraine will have thanks to the West.
Secret Annex
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Chancellery in Berlin, October 11, 2024 / John MACDOUGALL / AFP
To do this, he is asking his Western allies for non-nuclear deterrents, the ability to strike deep into Russian territory and an invitation to join NATO.
“Ukraine proposes to deploy on its territory a comprehensive set of non-nuclear strategic deterrent measures, which will be sufficient to protect Ukraine from any military threat from Russia”he said Wednesday.
This point is detailed in a “secret annex” which was presented in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Germany.
He again called for the lifting of “restrictions on the use of long-range weapons throughout Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory and on Russian territory”as well as continued Western aid to train and equip “reserve brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces”.
The West refuses to authorize kyiv to freely use the missiles it delivers on Russian territory, fearing an escalation, while Mr. Putin has several times threatened the use of nuclear weapons.
“Do it all” for peace
Mr. Zelensky, who will present his plan on Thursday at an EU summit, also asked to invite his country to join NATO, even if membership itself can happen later.
However, Russia launched its invasion in February 2022 in particular to prevent a rapprochement between kyiv and the Atlantic Alliance. It demands the surrender of Ukraine, its demilitarization and five regions: Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhia in addition to Crimea annexed in 2014.
Contrary to Mr. Zelensky’s speech, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Wednesday to “do everything” to prevent the continuation of the conflict, including by discussing with Vladimir Putin, in consultation with kyiv and this country’s allies.
“If we are asked: +Are we going to talk about it with the Russian president+, we say +yes that is the case+”he told the deputies of the Bundestag.
Ukrainian soldiers drive a tank on a road in the Donetsk region, October 12, 2024 / Roman PILIPEY / AFP
Ukrainian forces have been retreating for months in Donbass, eastern Ukraine, the conquest of which is the ” priority “ of Mr. Putin.
Moscow again claimed Wednesday the conquest of the village of Nevské in the Lugansk region, and that of Krasniï Yar, a dozen kilometers from Pokrovsk, a Ukrainian strategic node that Moscow is trying to conquer.
On September 22, the Ukrainian president presented his plan to American President Joe Biden. But so far, the United States has made no announcement, particularly on the use of long-range weapons.
During this visit, Volodymyr Zelensky also urged the UN Security Council to “force Russia into peace”after more than two and a half years of a conflict which left tens of thousands of civilian and military dead.
