Zelenskyy Reveals First Phase of Ukraine's 'Victory Plan'
Facts
- Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday revealed his first step toward the country's vision for peace — or what he has labeled its "victory plan" — remaining tight-lipped about it since last month's meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in which the plan was briefed.[1][2]
- Speaking alongside Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković at the Ukraine-South East Europe Summit in Dubrovnik on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said: "The first step of the plan focuses on whether the problem of geopolitical uncertainty in Europe will be resolved — whether Ukraine will get a seat in NATO."[1][3]
- "If so, and if this is properly confirmed," Zelenskyy continued, "[Russian Pres.] Putin will lose from a geopolitical point of view. Russia must recognize that Europe has borders and independent states, and everyone has the right to choose their future."[1]
- However, Russia insists that bringing Ukraine into the NATO alliance was the root cause of the conflict and that the war would not be settled on this basis. At a briefing on Wednesday, Maria Zakharova, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman, said: "Without eliminating these root causes of the crisis, it is simply impossible to achieve its fair settlement, as the Russian leadership has repeatedly said."[4]
- Meanwhile, on the ground, Russian forces have made vast gains in the last several days, prompting some reports — including from Ukrainian journalists — that suggested Ukraine's frontline had collapsed. The reports are yet to be independently confirmed.[5]
- However, the latest analysis from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a think tank that tracks battlefield positions in the conflict, reported that Russian forces made confirmed advances in the regions of Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia over the past day.[6]
Sources: [1]Ukrainska Pravda, [2]Verity, [3]Reuters, [4]TASS, [5]Newsweek and [6]Understanding War.
Narratives
- Pro-Ukraine narrative, as provided by Ukrainska Pravda. If Ukraine becomes a properly confirmed member of NATO, it will show Russian Pres. Putin that he will lose from a geopolitical point of view. As Ukrainian Pres. Zelenskyy said, Russia must recognize that Europe has borders and independent states, and everyone has the right to choose their own future.
- Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. Dragging Ukraine into the NATO military alliance is what started this whole conflict in the first place, particularly NATO's cultivation of Ukrainian nationalism that resulted in a violation of rights against the country's Russian-speaking citizens. Without eliminating the root cause of the conflict, it's impossible to achieve a fair settlement.