Blinken Briefed on Ukraine 'Victory Plan'
Facts
- During a visit to Ukraine last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was briefed on the country's 'victory plan' for ending the war with Russia, the department's spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters Tuesday.[1]
- Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy first spoke of such a plan last month and is expected to present it in more detail to US officials — including both presidential candidates — at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next week.[2]
- Earlier on Tuesday, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, America's ambassador to the UN, was the first to confirm that the US has seen early versions of Zelenskyy's plan. 'We believe that it lays out a strategy and a plan that can work,' she said.[3]
- When asked by reporters to expand, Miller confirmed the State Department had been 'briefed on elements of the plan' and 'share[s] the – ambassador Thomas-Greenfield’s assessment.' Miller added that the US would wait to be presented with a finalized version of Ukraine's plan 'before offering any kind of further conclusions about it.'[1]
- Since, Russia and Ukraine have traded further attacks, with Ukraine's Air Force stating that it repelled all 52 drones and three missiles deployed in a Russian attack in the early hours of Wednesday. Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry said it shot down 54 Ukrainian drones overnight. However, fires were reported at a fuel and lubricants warehouse in the city of Yaroslavl, as well as in an ammunition depot in the Tver region. 13 people were injured.[4][5][6]
- On the ground, Ukraine's Armed Forces reported that 194 combat clashes had taken place in the last 24 hours since 8 am local time on Wednesday. The Institute for the Study of War, which tracks troop positions in the conflict, reported that Russian forces made confirmed gains east and southeast of the Donetsk city of Pokrovsk, and confirmed the Russian capture of Ukrainsk in the region.[7][8]
Sources: [1]State, [2]www.euractiv.com, [3]Ukrainska Pravda (a), [4]Ukrainska Pravda (b), [5]Ukrainska Pravda (c), [6]TASS, [7]Ukrainska Pravda (d) and [8]Understandingwar.
Narratives
- Pro-Ukraine narrative, as provided by Ukrainska Pravda. Zelenskyy's peace plan is nine-tenths of the way there. It includes consideration of all points, including military, political, diplomatic, and economic. It has all the steps for real, just peace for Ukraine.
- Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. Russia is in favor of a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis. However, there has been no honest diplomacy from the other side. Zelenskyy's peace plan is nothing but a list of unrealistic demands and ultimatums.