War in Ukraine | Zelensky rules out ceding “territory” in his “victory plan”

(Kyiv) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unveiled his “victory plan” on Wednesday, during a highly anticipated speech in which he ruled out any territorial concessions to Russia and called on the West to invite his country to enter NATO.

This plan, made public after more than two and a half years of a devastating war, is on the agenda of the NATO ministerial meeting which begins Thursday in Brussels, its Secretary General Mark Rutte subsequently announced. .

Another sign of support, American President Joe Biden announced new military aid to Ukraine of $425 million, in particular to strengthen its anti-aircraft defense.

Russia, for its part, brushed aside Mr. Zelensky’s statements, accusing the Ukrainian president of seeking to “push” the member states of the Atlantic Alliance into “entering into direct conflict” with Moscow.

After months of secret preparations and an express European tour, Mr. Zelensky presented to Parliament his plan, supposed to achieve a “just and rapid end” to the war during 2025, rejecting the idea of ​​ceding territories in peace exchange, despite a critical lack of men and resources.

“Russia must lose the war against Ukraine. There can be no “freeze” [du front]. There can be no exchange concerning the territory of Ukraine or its sovereignty,” he insisted.

Kyiv and its allies must “force Russia to participate in a peace summit,” he insisted, referring to a conference he would like to organize in November, but whose holding remains uncertain.

Secret Annex

To do this, he is calling in particular on his Western allies to deploy non-nuclear deterrent means in Ukraine and the ability to strike deep into Russian territory.

“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 threats from Russia,” he said.

This point is detailed in a “secret annex” which was presented to 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 the territory of Ukraine occupied by Russia and on Russian territory”, as well as the continuation of Western aid to train and equip “reserve brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces”.

The West refuses to authorize Kyiv to freely use the missiles they deliver to strike Russian soil, fearing an escalation, while Vladimir Putin has, for his part, repeatedly threatened the use of nuclear weapons. .

Mr. Zelensky, who will present his plan on Thursday at an EU summit, also called for inviting 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, in addition to Crimea annexed in 2014, the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia.

Scholz ready to talk to Putin

Following this speech and a Biden-Zelensky telephone conversation, the US president announced a new aid package of $425 million to “meet Ukraine’s urgent needs”.

Mr. Zelensky expressed his “gratitude” for the “unwavering support” of the United States for this package which notably includes anti-aircraft defense systems, artillery, armored vehicles and ammunition.

Contrary to Mr. Zelensky’s statements on Wednesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, for his part, called on Wednesday to “do everything” to prevent the continuation of the conflict, including by discussing with Mr. Putin, in consultation with the Ukraine and other allies of this country.

“If we are asked: ‘are we going to talk about it with the Russian president’, we say: ‘yes, that’s the case’”, he told the deputies of the Bundestag.

The Kremlin assured that “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.”

Ukrainian forces have been retreating for months in Donbass, in eastern Ukraine, the conquest of which is Vladimir Putin’s “priority”.

Moscow thus claimed on Wednesday the conquest of two new villages, that of Nevské, in the Luhansk region, and that of Krasniï Iar, a dozen kilometers from Pokrovsk, a key Ukrainian strategic node which the Russians are seeking to seize.