Zelenskyy Takes 'Victory Plan' on European Tour
Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday took a whistle-stop tour of three European capitals, promoting what he described as a "victory plan" for Ukraine. It "aims to create the right conditions for a just end to the war," Zelenskyy said.
Facts
- Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday took a whistle-stop tour of three European capitals, promoting what he described as a "victory plan" for Ukraine. It "aims to create the right conditions for a just end to the war," Zelenskyy said.[1][2]
- Earlier in the week, as reports suggested vast Russian gains in eastern Ukraine, Zelenskyy said in a trip to Croatia that "the first step of the plan focuses on whether Ukraine will get a seat in NATO." Russia has strongly opposed such an idea.[3]
- Zelenskyy nonetheless continued efforts on Thursday to convince allies, first traveling to London where he met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and the newly appointed NATO Secretary General, former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.[1][4]
- Zelenskyy met privately with Starmer before the two met with Rutte. In public comments before the trio's closed-door meeting, Starmer said he and Zelenskyy had been "meeting all morning going through the plan for victory."[5]
- Zelenskyy proceeded to travel to Paris, where he met with French Pres. Emmanuel Macron, before going onto Rome and meeting with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni. She vowed Italy's full and continued support "at both bilateral and multilateral level in order to put Kyiv in the best position possible to build a just and lasting peace."[1]
- Zelenskyy was welcomed also into the Vatican for a private audience with Pope Francis. His second meeting with the pontiff in four months, Pope Francis and Zelenskyy concluded the meeting with an exchange of gifts.[6]
Sources: [1]Voice of America, [2]Euronews, [3]Verity, [4]Sky News, [5]ITV News and [6]Al Arabiya.
Narratives
- Pro-Ukraine narrative, as provided by Ukrainska Pravda. Ukraine's ascension to NATO would show Russian Pres. Putin that the continued occupation of will leave Moscow lost on the international stage. As Ukrainian Pres. Zelenskyy has said, Russia must recognize that Europe has borders and independent states, and that every nation has the right to choose their own future.
- Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. Dragging Ukraine into the NATO military alliance would exacerbate the issues that started this whole conflict in the first place, particularly given NATO's cultivation of Ukrainian nationalism that resulted in a violation of the rights of the country's Russian-speaking citizens. It's impossible to achieve a fair settlement without eliminating the route cause of the conflict.
Predictions
