Ukraine-Russia latest: Zelensky pushes for EU and Nato to back his ‘victory plan’ against Putin’s forces
Zelensky seeks to convince Western allies to back his plan as more than 160 clashes reported along front line of war
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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is seeking to persuade EU officials and Nato members to back his “victory plan” to end Russia’s war as he attends two crucial meetings in Brussels.
Mr Zelensky will address a summit of EU leaders on Thursday before making his case to Nato defence ministers, at a meeting which marks the first time the Western military alliance has met since the Ukrainian president unveiled the five-point plan, which he hopes could bring an end to the war by the end of 2025.
In a test for Ukraine’s Western allies, an invitation to join Nato sits front-and-centre of Kyiv’s plan, which also calls for a non-nuclear deterrence mechanism with the power to destroy Russia’s military, Mr Zelensky told the members of Ukrainian parliament on Wednesday morning.
As Nato defence ministers discuss the plan with Mr Zelensky on Thursday, fierce fighting continued along the vast front line in Ukraine, with more than 160 clashes reported by Kyiv’s military over the past 24 hours.
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Zelensky’s ‘victory plan’ is pushing NATO and Russia towards direct conflict, Russia says
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s “victory plan” is making a direct conflict between NATO and Russia more likely, the Russian foreign ministry has said.
The plan would be a disaster for the Ukrainian people, spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, after Zelensky presented the five-point plan to the Ukrainian parliament.
Zelensky called on western allies to take urgent and significant steps in bolstering support for Ukraine, claiming the war could be over next year if his plan is followed.
The Kremlin accused Kyiv of needing to “sober up” in response, adding that it was too early to comment on the details of the plan.
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Slovak prime minister Robert Fico said there is a “high” probability of the war in Ukraine ending soon, according to TASR news agency.
Fico spoke on Wednesday before he left for an European Union summit, to which Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to present his newly-unveiled five-point ‘Victory Plan’.
Speaking to a parliamentary committee, Fico said: “The probability of the war in Ukraine ending is high in the short term. I expect some hint tomorrow, because suddenly the topic of an invitation for Ukraine to NATO is appearing.”
Russia finally releases man whose daughter’s drawing opposed Ukraine war
A Russian man convicted of discrediting the military with his daughter’s artwork has finally been released from prison.
Alexei Moskalyov was convicted in March 2023 on the basis of posts that he made on a social media site. The post came to authorities’ attention after his daughter, then age 13, made a drawing in school opposing the military operation.
Read the full report:
Russia finally releases man whose daughter’s drawing opposed Ukraine war
Moskalyov’s troubles began after his daughter drew a picture of missiles flying over a Russian flag
South Korea responds to reports of North Korean troops fighting in Ukraine
Reports of North Korean troops fighting against Ukraine are very serious, South Korea’s vice foreign mininster Kim Hong-kyun said on Wednesday.
It comes after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky accused North Korea of sending troops to Russia.
South Korea said earlier this month that it was “highly likely” that this was taking place - read the full report below.
North Korea is ‘highly likely’ sending troops to fight for Russia in Ukraine
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In pics: Zelensky unveils ‘Victory Plan’ to parliament
European countries struggling to mobilise arms industries for Ukraine, Russia says
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that European countries are beginning to struggle in mobilising their military-industrial industries to help Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to Reuters: "This mobilisation of capabilities for ephemeral goals is contrary to the interests of the economic development of these countries, and clearly the capacities of these countries are not designed for such efforts.”
"In time, we hope, an understanding that such spending is unnecessary will become sharper and will sink in among more and more of the political establishment of these countries."
The five key points of Zelensky’s ‘Victory Plan'
The Ukrainian victory plan calls for western unity to ensure Russia is “forced to peace”, president Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“Together with our partners, we must change the circumstances so that the war ends. Regardless of what Putin wants. We must all change the circumstances so that Russia is forced to peace,” he told members of the Ukrainian parliament.
Here are the five key points he laid out on the speech:
1 - An invite to NATO
An unconditional invitation to join the NATO western military alliance is a necessary element of Ukraine’s victory, Zelensky told parliament.
“We understand that NATO membership is a matter of the future, not the present. But (Russian President Vladimir) Putin can see that his geopolitical calculations are headed for defeat,” he said according to Reuters.
2- Bolstered defence capabilities
Zelensky says Ukraine’s defensive abilities must be “irreversibly strengthened”, something he said can be done by removing restrictions on weapons use - partly referring to long-range drone strikes into Russian territory.
He said that boosting air defence capabilities, strengthening Ukraine’s defence industry, and continuing Ukraine’s military operations in Russia’s Kursk region, will bring Ukraine to victory.
3 - Deterrence
Ukraine’s western allies should demonstrate to Moscow that further aggression by Moscow would have consequences, Zelensky said.
He told parliament: “Ukraine proposes to place on its soil a comprehensive non-nuclear strategic deterrence package that will be sufficient to protect Ukraine from any military threat from Russia.”
There is a secret addendum to this part of the plan, which Zelensky provided no further detail of.
4 - Strategic economic agreement
Zelensky called for an agreement between Ukraine, the US, the EU and other allies to allow for joint investments into and use of Ukraine’s natural resources - which he said were worth trillions of dollars.
“These include, in particular, uranium, titanium, lithium, graphite and other strategically valuable resources that will strengthen either Russia and its allies or Ukraine and the democratic world in global competition,” Zelensky said.
5 - Ukraine’s role in strengthening NATO
Zelensky proposed Ukraine’s armed forces being used to enhance NATO’s security, replacing some US forces currently stationed in Europe.
‘Sober up’ says Russia in response to Ukraine’s ‘Victory Plan'
The Kremlin has warned Kyiv to “sober up” as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky announces his five-point “Victory Plan” in parliament.
It was too early to comment on the plan but the policies Zelensky is pursuing are futile, Russia said.
Zelensky said in his speech on Wednesday that the conflict could be ended no later than next year if his plan was implemented immediately.
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Kyiv’s plan was likely to be similar to the US plan - to use Ukraine to fight against Russia.
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