Zelensky reveals “victory plan” and calls for urgent NATO membership

The third is a non-nuclear deterrence plan, and the fourth ensures economic security and protection of Ukraine’s natural resources, which he said will strengthen Ukraine’s partners and weaken the economy and “war machine” from Russia

The five points include three classified sections, one of them related to the point of deterrence that has already been presented to US, British, German, French and Italian partners, Zelensky said.

If implemented successfully, Zelensky said, this plan could end Russia’s war in Ukraine by the end of next year. Russian President Vladimir Putin “must see that his geopolitical calculations are doomed,” Zelensky said. “Russians must feel that their Tsar has lost geopolitically to the world.”

NATO, in response, showed no sign that it was ready to invite Ukraine to join its ranks anytime soon, as allies asked Zelensky for more information on the plan.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte refused to welcome the “victory plan”, saying only that he and allies “take note”. He did not discuss when Ukraine might join the world’s largest military alliance, beyond insisting it would become a member.

“The plan has many aspects and many political and military issues that we really need to resolve with the Ukrainians to understand what’s behind it, to see what we can do, what we can’t do,” Rutte said in his muted response at headquarters of NATO in Brussels.

“We are in close contact with the allies, with Ukraine, to see how we can take the next steps,” he added. He declined to provide details on what else NATO wants to know, telling reporters only: “I can’t give you all the ideas on that.”

For now, Rutte said, the focus should be on helping Ukraine regain more territory and strengthening its hand for future peace negotiations.

Two years ago after Russia invaded, Zelensky had applied for “fast-track” membership to seek protection under the security umbrella of the military alliance.

NATO’s credibility is based on its collective security guarantee, Article 5 of its founding treaty. It is a political commitment of the 32 member countries to help any member whose sovereignty or territory may be under attack.

However, it does not apply to a partner country such as Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the plan. He said that Kiev must recognize that its policy is useless and “sober and realize the reasons that led to this conflict.” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Zelensky of “pushing NATO into direct conflict with our country.”

“The partners of the Kiev regime have already shown how they see Ukraine in the security architecture: they see Ukraine in a coffin and Ukrainian citizens in the grave as well,” he said.

Zelensky’s presentation of the plan comes after trips to the United States, where he shared it with President Biden and presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, and to several European capitals, where he briefed other key partners.

He has said for weeks that the success of the plan depends entirely on Ukraine’s partners. Before the visits, he said he planned to present it as an opportunity for Biden to leave office with a legacy of having helped secure a “just peace” for Ukraine.

However, the visits appear to have produced little public progress, and the overall approach has been one of quiet caution, with the United States absorbed in the final weeks of the presidential campaign and many in Europe anxiously awaiting the results of the November elections.

Biden is expected to visit Germany on Friday, where Chancellor Olaf Scholz said they will have a lot to talk about. “We have to understand how war doesn’t go on forever,” Scholz said. “No decision will ever be made about the head of Ukraine.”

Zelensky’s public presentation of the plan came as Ukraine prepares for a difficult winter. For months, Russia hit Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing widespread blackouts. The country is now bracing for more power outages as temperatures plummet and the heating season begins.

Meanwhile, Russian forces are advancing on the eastern towns of Pokrovsk, where most civilians have evacuated, and Toretsk, where relentless Russian attacks have leveled most of the city.

Ukrainian lawmaker Solomiia Bobrovska, a member of Holos, a liberal opposition party, said Zelensky’s plan showed what Ukraine’s allies need to do, but expressed doubts about his reaction.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think the United States will be very receptive to this plan,” he said, pointing to a sense of political paralysis ahead of next month’s presidential election. “Biden could make a real historic decision with long-range weapons and the invitation.”

MP Oleksiy Goncharenko of the opposition European Solidarity party wrote to X that it was not so much a plan as Zelensky’s wishes. “A plan must be realistic. Tell me, what’s realistic about that?”