The Ukrainian president is in the United States this week to meet with Joe Biden and present his “victory plan,” the outlines of which have been leaked to the press.
Arriving in the United States on Sunday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will present to his American counterpart Joe Biden and Congress on Thursday the details of his “victory plan” aimed at ending the Russian invasion of his country. Before that, he began his trip with a visit to a weapons factory in Pennsylvania that produces 155 mm shells, which Ukraine uses heavily in the face of Russian forces.
During this visit, he told the press that “This fall will be decisive for the future” of the war, and that his American counterpart would be “the first to see in detail” his proposals to end the conflict with Russia. “This war can only end with a just peace through international efforts, he hammered. The plan for Ukraine’s victory will be on the table of all our allies.”
The trip comes amid the US presidential campaign. During his visit, the Ukrainian leader also wants to present his plan to Congress and the “two presidential candidates”Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and former Republican President Donald Trump. He said he then wants to introduce him to “all the leaders of our partner countries”.
While the outlines of the plan remained unclear, the British weekly The Times has obtained the five key points of Volodymyr Zelensky’s future announcements.
- Accelerated accession to NATO
According to our British colleagues, while Ukraine is facing the refusal of its integration into NATO, the Ukrainian president will ask for Western security guarantees similar to the mutual defense pact, provided for in Article 5 of the NATO treaty. This stipulates that if a NATO member is attacked, “Each member of the Alliance will consider this act of violence as an armed attack directed against all members”.
This addition would imply tenfold military aid from the political-military organization, and a request for an additional security guarantee from Western countries towards their ally.
- The supply of modern weapons by the West
Volodymyr Zelensky will request to strike targets in Russia with long-range Western weapons, which he says could change the course of the war.
So far, “Neither America nor the UK have given us permission to use these weapons on Russian territory, on any target and at any distance”and kyiv did not do it, he explained on Friday evening.
This request has always been refused by the United States to this day. Joe Biden fears a nuclear escalation after Vladimir Putin’s threats about the use of Western weapons on Russian soil. The Kremlin master had described as “direct participation” Western countries about the possible use of these weapons in his country.
- International financial aid for economic recovery
The state of the country’s finances is also mentioned in this plan, although the requests are not supported. International financial aid to support “Ukrainian economy in ruins” is advanced.
International support for Ukraine reaches over 300 billion euros since February 2022, according to The WorldAt the end of April, the US House of Representatives adopted a major aid plan for kyiv worth 60.8 billion dollars (54.5 billion euros, editor’s note). “The victory plan is a plan that quickly strengthens Ukraine”Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with New Yorker Sunday.
Also readUkraine: Biden announces new military aid to kyiv, after call with Zelensky
- Obtaining ‘(Donald) Trump-proof’ security guarantees
With 42 days to go until the presidential election, Joe Biden’s planned withdrawal means the arrival of a new interlocutor for Volodymyr Zelensky. The latter has clearly chosen his camp, hoping that it will be the “democrat” Kamala Harris who wins on November 5. The Ukrainian president will however put pressure on Joe Biden to obtain security guarantees “(Donald) Trump-proof”the other frontrunner in the race for the White House. He wants to ensure continued U.S. support to prevent Russia from being offered an out if the Republican candidate wins.
His main concern is the role of the United States in a peace agreement, to prevent Ukraine from being forced into an unfavourable treaty.
- Continuation of the operation of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Kursk region
Fighting in the Kursk region has been ongoing since early August, when the Ukrainians launched a major counterattack to regain ground from the Russians. The Ukrainian president wants to continue along this path to “provide a territorial bargaining chip” in view of future negotiations with Vladimir Putin, or a means of pressure on Volodymyr Zelensky. This attack had lifted the veil on the use of Western weapons.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in June that Moscow would only agree to peace talks if Ukraine gave up sovereignty over five of its regions, which Russia has occupied in part or in full and which it claims to annex. kyiv, for its part, maintains its demand for peace “just” which would see Russian troops leave the country’s internationally recognised borders, including the Crimean peninsula.
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