First reaction as Ukrainian President announces 'victory plan'
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian officials presented his "victory plan" to the US and received the first response - the White House team is expected to visit Ukraine in the near future.
Mr. Zelensky emphasized that the Ukrainian delegation in the US specifically discussed two points in the so-called "victory plan" - inviting Ukraine to join NATO and strengthening the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Speaking on a nationwide fundraising television program on October 18, President Zelensky affirmed: "The response was received almost immediately... I am expecting the White House team in Ukraine, we are waiting and in the near future, they will be here with solid answers." He said that although the issue of inviting Ukraine to join NATO is often discussed, there are still countries that do not intend to close the dialogue with Russia. According to President Zelensky, Germany in particular is still skeptical. The Ukrainian leader stated that negotiations regarding the "victory plan" with France are taking place very actively. Mr. Zelensky stated: "By the end of November, the brigade (being trained in France) will be in Ukraine."
President Zelensky presented a five-point plan, three of which are secret, to the Ukrainian parliament on October 16. He proposed that the allies invite Ukraine to join NATO, lift restrictions on deep strikes into Russian territory, and deploy a “comprehensive non-nuclear deterrent package” on Ukrainian territory to contain Russia. The plan foresees an end to the conflict by 2025 at the latest.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed President Zelensky's "victory plan" as a collection of incoherent slogans that would push NATO into a direct conflict with Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the conflict would end when Kiev realized its policy was "ineffective."
President Zelensky revealed that he had only presented the "secret" points of the "victory plan" to those countries that could transfer to Kiev what was mentioned in it. The Ukrainian leader did not specify exactly what the secret points contained and which countries possessed them, only hinting that they referred to powerful long-range weapons that would allow a symmetrical response to attacks that would disable Ukraine's energy system.
