Zelenski’s ‘Victory Plan’: Forcing Putin to Negotiate for Peace

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski has presented the European Union (EU) with the details of his ‘Victory Plan’, which aims to compel Russia to negotiate a peace agreement. The plan calls for urgent military aid and the removal of red lines to increase pressure on Russia, while offering long-term economic and security benefits to Ukraine’s allies.

Increasing Military Pressure on Russia

According to Zelenski, the military aspect of the plan includes a list of requests for weapons from Ukraine’s partners, which would allow the Ukrainian Army to open more fronts in Russian territory, as it did in the Kursk region in early August. The ‘Victory Plan’ also demands that Western weapons be used to attack military targets within Russia without restrictions.

Zelenski believes that the increase in military pressure on the Russian Federation would weaken the Kremlin’s war machine and increase the discontent of the Russian population with their president, Vladimir Putin. The plan also requests that the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Germany deploy strategic, non-nuclear weapons in Ukraine to deter Moscow from intensifying its attacks and even push it to end the war.

Seeking NATO Membership and Economic Benefits

In addition to the military requests, the ‘Victory Plan’ calls for Ukraine to receive an immediate formal invitation to join NATO once the conflict is over, which Zelenski believes would show Putin that he has lost the geostrategic battle. The plan also offers a proposed agreement that would allow the United States, the European Union (EU), and other key partners of Kyiv to benefit in the short, medium, and long term from Ukraine’s natural resources and other economic advantages.

Becoming a Guarantor of European Security

The final point of the plan refers to the security architecture of Europe at the end of the war. Leveraging its wartime experience, Ukraine offers to become a guarantor of security on the continent and even replace the troops that the United States currently has deployed in Europe.

Zelenski has explained that the ‘Victory Plan’ should serve to increase pressure on Russia in order to force Moscow to sit down and negotiate at an international summit that Kyiv hopes to organize by the end of the year. The summit aims to attract the participation of as many countries as possible and should focus on Ukraine’s Peace Formula, a ten-point document that demands the withdrawal of Russian forces from all territories within Ukraine’s 1991 borders.

Conclusion

Zelenski has reaffirmed that Ukraine is not willing to cede any territories to achieve peace and has assured that the war can be ended next year if its allies implement the ‘Victory Plan’. The plan has been presented to U.S. President Joe Biden and is being shared with the other countries supporting Ukraine, though no public response has been made yet regarding the execution of the plan’s requests.