Zelensky unveils ‘Victory Plan’ after failing to drum up additional support from allies

By Lauren Kent, Kostya Gak and Svitlana Vlasova, CNN

(CNN) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky presented his long-anticipated “Victory Plan” to Ukrainian parliament on Wednesday, after failing to drum up additional, tangible support last week during meetings with European allies.

The plan, which consists of five points and three additional “secret” points shared only with certain partners, would be a bridge toward future peace talks with Russia, Zelensky told lawmakers in Kyiv, as he aims to bolster Ukraine’s position enough to end the war.

At the heart of Zelensky’s plan is Ukraine’s desire for an invitation to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which would be a precursor to full NATO membership, but something that Ukraine’s allies have been cool on with the country still at war with Russia.

It also outlines provisions to strengthen Ukraine’s defense, implement a non-nuclear strategic deterrence package and grow Ukraine’s economy.

“If we start implementing this Victory Plan now, we may be able to end the war no later than next year,” Zelensky said in a plea to his own lawmakers and more crucially, Ukraine’s backers abroad.

But many of the provisions in the plan have already been floated by Kyiv.

The Ukrainian president first presented the victory plan to US President Joe Biden during a September visit to the White House. The Biden administration ordered a surge of additional assistance for Ukraine during that visit and unveiled a $375 million aid package, but stopped short of meeting Kyiv’s demands for permission to strike deeper into Russia.

Biden has repeatedly said the US and allies “have to support Ukraine on its path to membership to both the EU and to NATO, and to continue to make reforms to counter corruption,” but an invitation to join has not yet been extended.

In the lead-up to his public announcement this week, Zelensky discussed the peace plan with leaders in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany and the head of NATO – a tour that ended without any countries publicly supporting the plan.

Commenting on Ukraine’s victory plan on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a true peace plan would require Kyiv to “sober up” and realize “the futility of the policy they are pursuing.”

Five-point plan

The first point of Zelensky’s peace plan is a call for Ukraine to become a member of NATO and ultimately the European Union – two alliances Kyiv has long been pushing to join.

Secondly, his plan outlines proposals to strengthen Ukraine’s defense, including improving air defense systems and reiterating a push for allies to ease restrictions around the use of long-range missiles to hit targets deep inside Russia – something the US has repeatedly denied.

The proposals come as Ukraine is facing setbacks on the eastern frontline, with Russia claiming incremental advancements in the Donetsk region and continuing to attack Ukrainian cities with drone and missile strikes. Ukraine is focused on preparing for winter, as it faces renewed Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure.

On Wednesday, Zelensky also called for “joint defense operations with our neighbors in Europe to shoot down Russian missiles and drones within the range of our partners’ air shield.” However, then-NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg poured cold water on that idea in July, saying the bloc would not become part of the conflict.

The plan also calls for the continuation of Ukraine’s operations in Russia’s Kursk region, which experts have called an important bargaining chip for Kyiv as it rejects calls to concede its own territory.

Zelensky reiterated on Wednesday that Ukraine will not accept a “freeze” or concessions “trading Ukraine’s territory or sovereignty.” Russia has been seeking to capture Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

“We hear the word ‘negotiations’ from our partners, and the word ‘justice’ is much less frequently used. Ukraine is open to diplomacy, but to honest diplomacy,” Zelensky said. “That is why we have the Peace Formula. It is a guarantee of negotiations without forcing Ukraine to accept injustice. Ukrainians deserve a decent peace.”

The plan also includes a new proposal for deploying a “comprehensive non-nuclear strategic deterrence package on its soil that will be sufficient to protect Ukraine from any military threat from Russia,” Zelensky said, arguing that a strong deterrent would force Russia to “join an honest diplomatic process to bring the war to a just end,” or be guaranteed to lose its war.

He did not give further details about what a non-nuclear deterrent would look like in practice, though.

Zelensky’s final pillars for peace are to grow Ukraine’s economic potential and look ahead to a post-war plan. Zelensky argued that the strength and experience of Ukraine’s military could be used to strengthen European defense after the war and eventually replace certain US forces in Europe.

CNN’s Clare Sebastian and Anna Chernova contributed to this report.

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