Zelenskyy’s victory plan calls on US support against Russia

The victory plan that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will present at the White House this week calls on the administration of President Joe Biden to firmly support Kyiv’s intentions to fight against the Russian aggressor, the Associated Press reports.

“While Western dawdling has amplified Ukraine’s losses, some Ukrainian officials, diplomats and analysts fear Kyiv’s aim to have the plan implemented before a new U.S. president takes office in January may be out of reach,” the article says.

So far, most of the victory plan’s tenets are unknown. 

However, Andrii Yermak, who heads the Ukrainian presidential office, outlined the main provisions of the document in a speech on September 23 at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C.

“Ukraine’s victory is the best way to prevent further major wars in the world, and Ukraine’s victory plan, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will present to President Joe Biden, outlines a comprehensive and very specific approach to achieving this,” Yermak said, as cited by Voice of America.

The military package of the victory plan is clearly structured according to the current stage of the war and an analysis of what is happening on the front lines, said Mykhailo Podoliak, a key Ukrainian presidential adviser.

“[The document] will include a detailed list of military resources vital for defeating Russia, along with a request for permission to attack Russian territory using long-range missiles,” Kyodo News reports, citing anonymous sources.

The plan also envisions applying “political pressure on Russia,” with Ukraine independently choosing its role in the global political process and having the right to be a member of any alliance – and “economic incentives,” such as increasing investments in military production within Ukraine and the imposition of new sanctions on Russia.

“Diplomatic pressure on Russia is a separate topic, as it requires working with ‘neutral belt countries.’ Ukraine will insist on the need to strengthen relations with Global South countries, from which Russia depends on trade, to exert maximum pressure on Moscow,” writes BBC.

“Weapons to defend our independence and our people. Diplomacy to consolidate partners and compel Russia to peace. And justice to ensure that Russia is held accountable for this war and feels its consequences,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his daily address to the nation on September 22.