President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pitched his victory plan to leaders of the European Union, urging them that Ukraine must be in a position of strength before any peace talks with Russia.
Addressing the EU’s 27 leaders at a Brussels summit, Ukraine’s President outlined his five-point plan, which urges allies to lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons on military targets inside Ukraine’s occupied territories and Russia, as well as to help increase air defences.
Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is ready for real diplomacy, but for it, “we must be strong.”
A “deterrence package” on Ukrainian land, he said, would either force Russia to participate in real peace negotiations, or allow for the destruction of their military targets.
He added that Putin must just see that his “political calculations are worthless.”
“Russia will resort to diplomacy only when it sees that it cannot achieve anything by force. This is the plan. This is exactly what’s needed, and we must create the right conditions to end this war.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy told EU leaders that his troops must keep battling Russian forces in Ukraine “while also bringing the war back into Russia so that Russians can feel what war is like and begin to hate Putin for it.”
Zelenskyy said that he needs to move some partners forward on the issue. “And I think only with the unity in EU we can move and can move not only EU leaders, we can move other leaders,” he stated.
Also, Zelenskyy said that his country has intelligence information that 10,000 troops from North Korea are being prepared to join Russian forces fighting against his country, warning that a third nation wading into the hostilities would turn the conflict into a “world war.”
Some North Korean officers are already thought to be on occupied territory in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy suggested Putin was turning to allies to provide troops because he feared domestic mobilisation would prompt a public backlash.
Zelenskyy Says Majority Of EU Leaders In Support Of Victory Plan
At a press conference following his participation in the European Council meeting, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the majority of EU leaders supported the Ukrainian victory plan.
He said that Ukraine and European partners will work on it.
“Today we had a very productive conversation with all EU members. With all our colleagues. 18 of them commented on the victory plan. And I am very grateful that I had a closed part of the conversation with the allies and after our very frank conversation, in fact, most of those who spoke were fully on the side of supporting the victory plan.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
He expressed gratitude that he was able to present the details of the plan to the EU. “I am glad that our teams will continue to work,” he said.
He told reporters that the plan aims to strengthen Ukraine and pave the way for a diplomatic solution to end the conflict on Europe’s eastern flank.
As part of the victory plan, Ukraine wants an immediate invitation to join NATO.
He is headed to the alliance headquarters to meet the Secretary-General, Mark Rutte, and NATO Defence Ministers.
However, Zelenskyy has to contend with Viktor Orban, Hungary’s Russia-friendly Prime Minister and a serial disruptor of EU support for Ukraine.
Before the summit Orban described Zelenskyy’s victory plans as “more than frightening” and once again urged the EU to change its approach because “we are losing this war.”
The Ukrainian leader has travelled to Washington, Paris, Berlin, Rome and London to promote his initiative, but it has yet to earn backing from Western capitals.
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