After Washington, London, Paris, Berlin, Rome and the Ukrainian parliament, Volodymyr Zelensky presented this Thursday, October 17 in Brussels his “victory plan», insisting that his country, in difficulty on the battlefield, must first find itself in a position of strength before attempting any negotiation with its adversary. “Ukraine is ready to make real room for diplomacy but, for that, we must be strong“, he said in front of the leaders of the 27 member states.
Volodymur Zelensky ends his diplomatic tour at the end of the day with a meeting of 32 NATO defense ministers. Lifting restrictions on the use of weapons that the West supplies to Ukraine, deployment on Ukrainian territory of non-nuclear deterrent weapons… None of these requests, however, has generated clear support from the Allies who have have listened, for the moment.
The plan presented by Volodymyr Zelensky also recommends immediately sending kyiv an invitation to join NATO, the only real guarantee of security for his country, according to him. But here again, you will have to continue to be patient. This Thursday, October 17, like the day before, the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, limited himself to stating that “Ukraine will be a member of NATO“, but if “the question is when, I can’t answer right now“. The United States, preoccupied by its presidential elections which will take place on November 5, is refusing for the moment to position itself more clearly.
For the new Secretary General of the Alliance, the plan which will be “on the table» of the meeting of NATO ministers this Thursday evening, sends a “strong signal”. But, he hastened to add that “This 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 this plan. “I hope that this plan will not be just a piece of paper and that it will be followed by actions and measures», Judged Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur. The head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, took his side, recalling that what is at stake in Ukraine “is an existential war. Russia is an existential threat to Europe and I hope that member states will continue to support Ukraine.»
Confused positions regarding the risk of escalation
More than two and a half years after the start of the Russian invasion, Ukraine is in retreat, particularly on the eastern front of Donbass. In parallel with the Ukrainian president’s speech, the Russian army claimed this Thursday morning the conquest of a village near the town of Kurakhove, located south of Pokrovsk, an important logistical crossroads for the Ukrainian army.
In the Belgian capital too, several other countries were cautious, fearing an escalation with Russia or, more prosaically, putting forward budgetary reasons. “Our hesitation is the best and most direct path to escalation», However, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said this Thursday morning in Brussels.
For NATO, the official line remains the same as since the start of the conflict, including since the arrival of Mark Rutte at the beginning of the month. “We are working very hard to make sure they (the Ukrainians) win“, he promised Wednesday to the press. But “there are many ways to define victory or to define defeat“, argues an official from the Atlantic Alliance. To meditate.
For some of the 32 countries of this organization, Russia’s setbacks at the start of its “special operation» in 2022 are already a victory in themselves, authorizing a compromise, preferable to a long and costly war, explains another NATO diplomat. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Wednesday October 16 to “do everything» to prevent the continuation of the conflict in Ukraine, including by discussing with Russian President Vladimir Putin, however in consultation with kyiv. “It’s the worst time to start negotiations now because Russia feels the strongest“, for his part warned the Lithuanian president.
