Photo: John Thys Agence France-Presse Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, at a press conference, Thursday, in Brussels
Olivier Baube – Agence France-Presse in Brussels
Published at 10:05
- Europe
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky presented his “victory plan” in Brussels on Thursday, insisting that his country, struggling on the battlefield, must be in a position of strength before any negotiations.
“Ukraine is ready to make real room for diplomacy, but to do so, we must be strong,” he told the leaders of the 27 member states before meeting later in the day with the 32 NATO defense ministers.
More than two and a half years after the start of the Russian invasion, Ukraine is retreating, particularly on the eastern front of Donbass, where the Russian army claims to have conquered a new village almost every day, as it did again on Thursday morning.
After having already defended his plan in Washington, London, Paris, Berlin and Rome, the Ukrainian president revealed its broad outlines on Wednesday before the Parliament in kyiv.
Lifting restrictions on the use of weapons supplied to Ukraine by the West, deployment of non-nuclear deterrent weapons on Ukrainian territory… None of these demands have so far met with unanimous support from the Allies.
According to Mr. Zelensky, however, the discussions with the EU countries have been positive. “After our very frank conversations, the majority of those who spoke (at the summit of the 27) did so in support of the plan,” he said at a press conference, without going into details.
Dream of NATO membership
The plan presented by Mr. Zelensky also recommends sending Kiev an invitation to join NATO now, the only real guarantee of security for his country, according to the Ukrainian president.
But here again, patience will be needed. Mark Rutte thus limited himself to recalling the “irreversible” nature of Ukraine's path towards NATO. “Ukraine will be a member of NATO,” he repeated, but if “the question is when, I cannot answer right now.”
The United States, where the presidential election will take place on November 5, has so far refused to go further.
As for Germany, its Chancellor Olaf Scholz “has never said yes, and has never said no,” according to Mr. Zelensky.
Concerning the Ukrainian plan, which will be “on the table” at the NATO ministers' meeting on Thursday evening, the new Secretary General of the Alliance judged on Wednesday that it sent a “strong signal.” But, he added immediately, “that doesn't mean I can say here that I support the whole plan.”
The Baltic countries were more enthusiastic, calling on their partners in NATO and the EU to support the plan.
“I hope that this plan will not be just a piece of paper and that it will be followed by actions and measures,” said Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur.
“This is an existential war. Russia is an existential threat to Europe and I hope that member states will continue to support Ukraine,” said Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000“Our hesitation”
But several other countries are more cautious, fearing an escalation with Russia or, more prosaically, for budgetary reasons. “Our hesitation is the best and most direct way to escalation,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said in Brussels on Thursday.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Wednesday for “everything to be done” to prevent the conflict in Ukraine from continuing, including talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but in consultation with kyiv.
For his part, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country currently chairs the EU Council of Ministers, described the Ukrainian leader's plan as “terrifying.”
“We are losing this war, this strategy is not working, it must be changed!” “, he said on his Facebook page, calling for the opening of “immediate” negotiations with Russia, where he had gone in July during a highly controversial “peace mission.”
The five axes of Ukraine's victory plan
While no documents have been made public and some aspects are classified, Mr Zelensky revealed the broad outlines of his plan on Wednesday before the Ukrainian parliament after more than two and a half years of a devastating war. Here are the five main points.
Invitation to NATO
President Volodymyr Zelensky urged his Western allies on Wednesday to invite kyiv to join NATO, a key element of his “victory plan” to end the Russian invasion.
“The first point is an invitation from NATO, right now (Vladimir) Putin must see that his geopolitical calculations are losing,” he said in his speech, while Russia launched its invasion in February 2022 in particular to prevent a rapprochement between kyiv and the Atlantic Alliance.
Inflating the defense
The second point raised by the Ukrainian president is a set of measures concerning the front that now extends from the southeast to the northeast of Ukraine, passing through the Russian region of Kursk. With more men, more weapons and not counting its losses, Russia has taken the advantage over the past year and is gaining more and more ground.
A flagship measure is to continue operations on Russian soil, such as the surprise attack of August 6 in the Kursk region.
Mr. Zelensky also again demanded that his partners lift “restrictions on the use of long-range weapons throughout the Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia and on Russian territory,” continue Western aid to train and equip “reserve brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces,” and provide “real-time satellite data.”
Non-nuclear deterrence
Mr. Zelensky also demands that his Western allies deploy non-nuclear deterrents in Ukraine and the ability to strike deep into Russian territory.
“Ukraine offers to deploy on its territory a comprehensive set of non-nuclear strategic deterrents, which will be sufficient to protect Ukraine from any military threat from Russia,” he said.
This point is detailed in a “secret annex” that was presented to the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Germany.
Mr. Putin had announced, however, even before Mr. Zelensky’s speech, that Russia would reserve the right to respond with its nuclear missiles to conventional attacks.
Economic potential
The fourth point concerns Ukraine’s economic growth.
Whether minerals or agricultural exploitation, Mr. Zelensky praised the resources available on Ukrainian soil, estimating that they could constitute a “multi-billion dollar” windfall that would be open to Ukraine’s allies.
He provides for “a special agreement on the joint protection of critical resources” in Ukraine, as well as their joint exploitation with allies. Here too, there is a “secret annex”.
Ukrainian contingents
The last point concerns the post-war period. In this section, the Ukrainian president envisages “replacing some American military contingents” in Europe “with Ukrainian units,” drawing on their experience against Russia.
After his presentation, the Kremlin dismissed Mr. Zelensky’s statements, accusing the Ukrainian president of seeking to “push” the member states of the Atlantic Alliance to “enter into direct conflict” with Moscow.