Ukraine-Russia latest: Zelensky unveils five-point ‘Victory Plan’ as Putin’s forces launch mass drone attack
It comes after Putin’s forces fired 136 drones at Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities overnight on Wednesday
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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has unveiled the much-anticipated five-point “Victory Plan” which he says could bring an end to the war by the end of next year.
An invitation to join NATO and specific weapons support from western allies sits front-and-centre of Kyiv’s plan, which Zelensky discussed with the US, UK, France, Italy and Germany leaders in a whirlwind tour.
The plan’s third point calls for a non-nuclear deterrence mechanism with the power to destroy Russia’s military, Zelensky told the members of Ukrainian parliament on Wednesday morning.
Zelensky said there is a secret addendum to the third point, which he could not disclose.
Western support in defending Ukraine’s natural resources from Russian attacks, alongside post-war reconstruction pledges from western allies, made up the rest of the plan.
It comes after Russia fired scores of drones at Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions overnight on Wednesday. 51 of the 136 drones fired by Putin’s forces were shot down by Ukraine’s air forces over 14 regions.
Of the remaining drones, 60 were unaccounted for, 20 remained in Ukrainian skies, and three had an unknown fate.
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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.
Ukrainian ‘Victory Plan’ requires unconditional invitation to NATO
Ukraine has called for an unconditional invitation to join the NATO military alliance as part of president Volodymyr Zelensky’s five-point ‘Victory Plan’.
Zelensky also requested a strategic non-nuclear deterrent package in Ukraine, and envisaged the replacement of some US forces in Europe by Ukrainian troops.
The plan also called for an agreement on joint defense between Kyiv’s allies and the use of vital Ukrainian resources, Reuters reported.
Ukrainian military denies Russia captured two villages
The Ukrainian military says it repelled Russian attacks near Krasnyi Yar on the past day.
It added that Rusian forces had attempted to break through Ukraine’s defences around Nevske on the Lyman front, it said on Telegram according to Reuters.
The Russian Defence Ministry claimed on Wednesday it captured both Krasnyi Yar and Nevske.
Russia captures two villages in eastern Ukraine, it claims
Russian forces have captured two villages in eastern Ukraine, the defence ministry has claimed, as they continue to make slow but steady progress on the eastern front.
Putin’s troops took control of Krasnyi Yar in Donetsk region and Nevske in Luhansk region, the defence ministry said on Wednesday according to Russia’s state-run TASS news agency.
French ‘kamikaze’ drones to arrive within weeks
France will deliver its first round of “kamikaze” drones to Ukraine in the “coming weeks”, defence minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Wednesday morning.
"Testing of the first French remotely operated munition – also called kamikaze drones" had been a "success," Lecornu wrote on X.
“Regaining sovereignty over this key segment for our armies in less than two years. Deliveries to Ukraine and our forces in the coming weeks,” he added.
Russia is increasingly using kamikaze drones, including Iranian Shahed drones, to target Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, and domestically-made Lancets against Ukrainian troops.
"Kamikaze drones are absolutely fundamental" and will be able to "complement Caesar howitzers,” Lecornu added, according to The Kyiv Independent, referring to the artillery systems already supplied to Ukraine by France.
Zelensky to present ‘Victory Plan’ to Ukrainian parliament
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will unveil his “Victory Plan” to the Ukrainian parliament on Wednesday.
The much-anticipated plan aims to force Moscow to negotiate an end to the war in good faith, and includes an invitation for Ukraine to join the NATO western military alliance.
Zelensky has discussed the plan with his western allies during a number of quickfire trips in recent weeks.
Ukrainian officials have suggested the plan includes a request to the West to ramp up weapons supplies and authorise longer-range strikes in Russia, although the exact details are unknown.
Zelensky’s speech may aim to persuade the Ukrainian public, exhausted and demoralised after two-and-a-half years of grinding war, that the conflict can end soon.
Opposition MP Iryna Gerashchenko said according to Reuters: "I’d like to believe (the plan) is realistic, because the situation is indeed very, very difficult.”
In pictures: Heavy shelling in eastern town of Pokrovsk
Large-scale power outages reported in southern Ukraine
Large-scale power outages have been reported in the southern city of Kherson, according to the chief of the city’s military administration.
“According to preliminary information, the entire city was cut off. The reasons are being determined,” Roman Mrochko wrote on Telegram on Wednesday morning.
Power outages were also reported in the neighbouring Mykolaiv region
Governor Vitalii Kim said: “Many people have lost electricity. We identified the source. There was no strike. We will fix it in a couple of hours if there are no further surprises.”
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