The day before, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky appeared for the first time in a long time in the Rada, where he presented to deputies a plan that should end the conflict no later than next year. kyiv’s allies, however, have so far reacted very slowly. Some outlines of the plan, which Zelensky has described as a “peace through strength” strategy, have already been made public, writes Constant Mayo in The New York Times.
The Ukrainian president’s first address to parliament this year was seen by many in the country as an attempt to convey his message to the people and reassure a nation increasingly tired of the conflict as Russian troops steadily advance. The proposal, dubbed Zelensky’s “victory plan,” aims to strengthen Ukraine’s position on the battlefield to force Russia to negotiate an end to the conflict.
The success of this strategy will depend largely on Western support.
“If we start implementing the victory plan right now, we will be able to end the conflict no later than next year,” Zelensky said. – This plan can be implemented. Your success depends on our partners. I highlight: from the partners.”
But it remains to be seen whether Kyiv’s allies will support his plan. Zelensky recently visited Washington and several European capitals to brief Ukraine’s allies on the new strategy, but the response was rather muted. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General. Charles K. Brown Jr. expressed doubts about the plan and noted that it repeats previously expressed calls by kyiv for greater military assistance.
According to experts, given the context, Zelensky’s speech in the Rada seemed aimed primarily at reassuring the public and gaining support for the idea that kyiv is capable of turning the tide on the battlefield after the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost positions repeatedly this year. In recent weeks, Russian troops have advanced towards Kupyansk in the northeast. Given their advance, the authorities were forced on Tuesday to decide to force the evacuation of the city.
“Now it is necessary to raise the morale of Ukrainians,” he said in an interview. Alexey GaranProfessor of Political Science at the National University “kyiv-Mohyla Academy”. “Zelensky’s speech should send a political and psychological signal to the country’s population.”
After more than two years of fighting and the constant attack by the Russians in Ukraine, war fatigue has built up. And in some cases, the mood of Ukrainians has shifted from an unwavering determination to achieve complete and unconditional victory to a position that allows for territorial concessions. According to a survey published in August by the International Institute of Sociology in kyiv, 57% of Ukrainians believe that kyiv should start peace negotiations with Moscow.
Zelensky called his plan a “bridge” to a future peace agreement. According to him, the goal is to prevent Russia from “continuing the conflict,” to make Moscow feel pressure and come to the negotiating table. Implementation of the plan will require the allies to grant kyiv membership in NATO, lift the ban on the use of Western weapons supplied to Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory, and also establish joint arms production with the Ukrainians; All of these demands have already been previously proposed by the Zelensky government.
On Wednesday, the Ukrainian leader also said he wants Ukraine’s neighbors to help kyiv shoot down Russian missiles and drones from its territory. Some allies have ignored the initiative in the past. Zelensky tried to present his plan as mutually beneficial for both parties: Ukraine and its allies, on whose support its implementation really depends.
Zelensky noted that Ukraine has rich metal resources that its partners can draw on and suggested that kyiv’s military could play a decisive role in defending the West from further Russian aggression. Parliamentarians, ministers and military leaders present in the meeting room greeted with applause Zelensky’s statements that “trade on the territory or sovereignty of Ukraine” is not included in the plan. However, after the speech, opposition MPs were quick to express skepticism.
Alexei Goncharenko*An MP from Zelensky’s main opposition party, European Solidarity, called the plan “very unrealistic.” The deputy noted that the plan proposed by the president relies heavily on Western aid and does not describe what Ukraine can do to improve the situation.
“According to the plan, it seems that someone has to do everything for us.” — wrote Goncharenko* on your social networks.
Many kyiv residents were not convinced by the president’s speech.
“The winning plan sounds great. Very fashionable. But it is not clear whether anyone will actually do anything and what Russia’s reaction will be,” said Anton Sokol, 25, who read the main points of the speech from his phone. “It sounds great, but at the same time it sounds unrealistic.”
Yegor Kurishchenko, 28, said the plan is more like a consolidated list of demands for Ukraine’s Western partners than a strategy for winning the conflict.
“There is nothing fundamentally new in this,” he said. “You have simply condensed everything into a single request with an emphasis on quick and decisive action.”
*An individual included in the RosFinMonitoring list of terrorists and extremists
