Zelenskyy has yet to publicly present his proposals for victory but the timing of his efforts to lock in European support appear to have November’s US presidential election in mind.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been on a tour of European capitals to promote his ‘victory plan’ that he says “aims to create the right conditions for a just end to the war” against Russia.
It details the proposals to European allies after a scheduled summit involving US President Joe Biden was derailed by Hurricane Milton which has caused devastation across Florida.
His third stop of the day brought him to Italy and after bilateral talks with Giorgia Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister reiterated her country’s support for Ukraine.
“A new winter begins now. It is the third that Ukraine faces in this war, and today, half of its electricity grid is out of order. The responsibility of the international community is to support Ukraine in this effort,” she said at a joint press conference.
“President Zelenskyy knows well that Italy has stood by Ukraine from the very beginning of this conflict. We have done everything we can, and as we reiterated this evening, we are ready to continue doing so for as long as necessary.”
Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy’s talks in London with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte were quickly followed by another meeting in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron, who just the previous day sent a strong signal of support for Ukraine by visiting Ukrainian troops being trained in France.
Zelenskyy posted on X that he had “outlined the details” of the Ukrainian victory plan to Starmer and added, “We have agreed to work on it together with our allies.”
Downing Street said the leaders discussed the blueprint, the challenges for Ukraine of the approaching winter and “how investment in the country’s security today would support Europe’s broader security for generations to come.”
“And I think we need to continue to make that point, which is of course about Ukraine’s sovereignty, but it’s also about the rest of us as well. It matters way beyond the situation,” Starmer said.
The Ukrainian leader also met Rutte with Starmer. Zelenskyy posted afterward that they discussed trans-Atlantic cooperation and further reinforcing Ukraine militarily.
He gave no details but posted that “these are the steps that will create the best conditions for restoring a just peace.”
“It’s crucial, what we also want to make clear today is this is about Ukraine, but it is also about defence domestically and how we stay safe,” Rutte said in brief comments in London.
Zelenskyy has yet to publicly present his proposals for victory. But the timing of his efforts to lock in European support appeared to have November’s US presidential election in mind.
Former President Donald Trump, who could return to the White House next year, has long been critical of US aid to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy had planned to present his blueprint at a weekend meeting of Western leaders in Germany, but it was postponed after Biden stayed home because of the hurricane crisis currently playing out in Florida.
Zelenskyy then embarked on his whistle-stop tour of European capitals that have been among Ukraine’s staunchest allies outside of the United States.
In Paris, Macron and Zelenskyy hugged before talks on the plan at the French presidential Elysee Palace.
Afterward, Zelenskyy said “all the details” would come in November and that he’s talking with allies about securing more military aid and permission for Ukrainian forces to carry out long-range strikes.
Kyiv wants Western partners to allow strikes deep inside Russia, using long-range weapons they provide.
Some, including the UK and France, appear willing, but Biden is reticent about escalating the conflict.
“The situation looks bleak for all sides,” Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre, said on X.
“The West hesitates amid internal divisions, Ukraine struggles while bracing for a harsh winter, and Russia presses forward without any strategic shifts in its favour yet grows increasingly impatient.”
Ukraine relies heavily on Western support, including tens of billions of euros’ worth of military and financial aid, to keep up the fight against its bigger enemy after almost 1,000 days of fighting since the full-scale Russian invasion began in 2022.
Fearing that crucial help could be in jeopardy due to political changes in donor countries, Ukraine has been building up its domestic arms industry. It also wants to raise more money from taxpayers to pay for the war effort.
The Ukrainian parliament passed a bill on second reading on Thursday that raises the so-called military tax from 1.5% to 5%. Some amendments are expected before it becomes law.
Zelenskyy’s tour comes as Russia continues a slow but relentless drive deeper into Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region and targets key infrastructure with air strikes.
Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that the victory plan seeks to strengthen Ukraine “both geopolitically and on the battlefield” before any kind of dialogue with Russia.
Ukraine’s leader is expected to meet Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday.
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