The Ukrainian President also emphasized the importance of an invitation from NATO to Ukraine, which would send out a powerful message that Ukraine is not “alone.”
According to a statement he made at a Brussels press conference following a European Council Meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that failure to support the “victory plan” he proposed could inadvertently be beneficial to Russia.
Zelenskyy, who has already made his victory plan public, now promotes it in Brussels to EU leaders.
The plan consists of five main points: an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO, strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities; implementing a strategy against Russian aggression; boosting Ukraine’s economic and strategic potential; and utilizing Ukraine’s wartime experiences for future European defence. Nevertheless, certain aspects of the plan contain confidential details that are only shared with specific Western allies.
“It will be very hard for us if they [partners] do not support Ukraine’s victorious plan. This will be a gift from the world to Russia. The weakness of Ukraine is Russia’s advantage. “I think this is a mistake,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian leader stressed the fact that, while the proposed NATO invitation is not equivalent to full NATO membership, it would send a strong message of support.
“It is a sign that Ukraine’s not alone,” he said.
Zelensky reported to the EU summit that 18 partners had commented on his proposition. The reactions of European leaders are mixed.
Olaf Scholz, German Chancellor, indicated that certain decisions would remain unchanged. He did not specify to which aspects of the plan this decision referred. Scholz, however, refused to send Taurus cruise missiles with a long range to Ukraine due to concerns about escalation. Scholz warned such actions could bring Germany closer to direct war involvement, which he tries to avoid.
Gitanas Nuseda, the Lithuanian president, suggested that Zelenskyy’s plan was a rehash of points on which EU was already hesitant. For example, Ukraine’s NATO membership or allowing long-range attacks on Russian soil.
Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General, stressed that Ukraine should only negotiate with Russia from a strong position. He reaffirmed NATO’s continued military assistance, but expressed reservations about fully embracing Zelenskyy’s “whole-victory plan” to reclaim occupied territories.
NATO officials also reaffirmed that they are committed to Ukraine joining the alliance in the future, but did not provide a timeline despite Zelenskyy’s push for a change.
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