No matter what is in Putin's head: what is known about Zelensky's Victory Plan

No matter what is in Putin's head: what is known about Zelensky's Victory Plan

Kyiv  •  UNN

September 24 2024, 10:28 AM • 199609 views

The President of Ukraine presents a 5-point “Victory Plan” in Washington. The plan envisions strengthening Ukraine without taking Russia's position into account and includes military aid, economic steps, and diplomatic pressure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is on a several-day official visit to the United States. And the culmination of this visit should be the presentation of a mysterious plan, which has already been dubbed the "Zelenskyy Victory Plan." UNN has been looking into what is known about this plan and what exactly it may contain.

Without taking into account Putin's mood

For the first time, the President spoke about the Victory Plan at this year's press conference on Ukraine's Independence Day. Zelenskyy's interview with CNN  , which was recorded in September, revealed that the Plan contains four main points, as well as a fifth point, which probably relates to restoring or maintaining a lasting peace, because, according to the President, it will be needed after the war.

The cornerstone idea of the Plan is probably that its implementation should not depend on the willingness or unwillingness of the Russian dictator.

This is a very specific plan to strengthen Ukraine without any decisions or pressure from Russia. This plan does not depend on any decisions of (Russian dictator Vladimir - ed.) Putin

- said the head of state during his ongoing visit to the United States.

A similar thesis was voiced by the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak:

"This plan is about how to create an atmosphere and a situation where it will be possible to ignore what is in Putin's head. And so that Russia is really forced to sit down at the negotiating table and accept the end of this war on terms that are acceptable to Ukraine. And our conditions are clear - everything is described in President Zelensky's Peace Formula.

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Later, Yermak also addedthat Ukraine's invitation to NATO is part of the Victory Plan, and urged partners to ignore Russia's threats of escalation.

Clear, but still mysterious steps

The President and his team have repeatedly emphasized that the Plan contains clear steps to ensure a just peace. The Plan is also presented as a way to fully implement the previously announced Formula for Peace (it contains 10 points: radiation and nuclear safety; food security; energy security; release of all prisoners and deportees (including abducted Ukrainian children); implementation of the UN Charter and restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity and world order; withdrawal of Russian troops and cessation of hostilities; return of justice; countering ecocide; prevention of escalation; and fixing the end of the war).

The President also said that the Plan is designed for quick decisions by partners from October to December.

As we mentioned above, the Victory Plan has a total of 5 points. There is some clarity on the four main ones, which were provided by the President's Office: military assistance to Ukraine, economic steps, diplomatic pressure on the aggressor and "political coercion of Russia.

Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of the OP, has to some extent disclosed the details of each of these points:

  • a military package that will be clearly structured in accordance with the current stage of the war and the analysis of what is happening in the Kursk region in terms of the use of domestic weapons;
  • Russia's pathetic coercion that Ukraine independently chooses its role in the global political process and has the right to be a member of any alliance. The demands of some third countries should not influence the opinion of others;
  • economic incentives to make Russia adequately perceive reality. This includes increasing substantial investments in military production in Ukraine, as well as auditing sanctions that work against the terrorist country;
  • diplomatic pressure on Russia. This step is a separate topic, as it requires work with the neutral zone countries, which do not realize that Russia is destroying the international law within which they can dominate and have the opportunity to form other alliances.

He also added that this plan is a clear understanding of "what tools are needed, in what quantity and how much it costs in order to properly finalize this war.

After Podoliak's statements, The Times published its version of the Victory Plan.  According to British journalists, the plan provides for:

  • a request for Western security guarantees similar to the mutual defense pact concluded as part of NATO membership;
  • continuation of the Armed Forces' operation in the Kursk region in order to have a “territorial trump card”;
  • request for “specific” modern weapons;
  • international financial assistance for the restoration of Ukraine's devastated economy.

British journalists believe that Zelenskyy wants to protect American support for Ukraine from Donald Trump.

At the same time, one of the Times' interlocutors emphasized that the freezing of the war "definitely cannot be the basis for negotiations.

Bloomberg also voiced certain messages that are likely to be embedded in the Plan. In particular, according to their information, the Plan (in addition to the already confirmed insistence on Ukraine's membership in NATO) contains a commitment by the United States to continuously supply modern weapons to Ukraine, which in some way correlates with the thesis voiced by The Times that the President of Ukraine wants to maintain American support even if Trump comes to power in the United States.

The Victory Plan is expected to be presented to U.S. President Joe Biden on September 26 in Washington, DC. The Plan will also be reviewed by presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

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