The Economist: Zelensky’s five-point ‘Victory Plan’ “had not been well received in Washington”

What a telling farewell...
Photo: Reuters

On the battlefield, things are still looking grim. Russia is making significant progress pressing simultaneously at several points along the 1,000km frontline. Russia is in the process of encircling Pokrovsk, an important logistical hub in eastern Ukraine, and advancing farther south, after taking control of the heights around Vuhledar.

A senior Ukrainian official says Russia’s next objective might be an advance on the city of Zaporizhia, a major industrial centre in Ukraine’s south close to a nuclear-power plant, notes ‘The Economist’. The same source suggests that Russia may have already taken back as much as half of the territory that Ukraine seized in the Kursk region in August 2024, Ukraine’s only significant advance since its failed counter-offensive in 2023.

Ukraine’s worries go beyond the shaky front lines. Western support, already stretched thin, is looking more precarious than before. This week the g7 further fleshed out the details of a loan of $50bn, to be paid for by interest on seized Russian assets; final agreement should be reached in the next few days. But if Donald Trump wins America’s election, now two weeks away, much of its direct military assistance could be choked off. A victory by Kamala Harris offers no promises either. Germany, Ukraine’s second-biggest backer, has already signalled that aid will fall. France has done likewise.

Mr. Zelensky published his five-point “Victory Plan,” previously presented in private to American officials. The key points are proposals that Ukraine should receive an invitation to NATO; a bigger arsenal of weapons; and something described as “non-nuclear deterrence” — essentially a large number of long-range missiles that could take out key logistical and military targets in Russia.

A senior Ukrainian official, who asked to remain anonymous, says the package should be interpreted as “coercive diplomacy”, or a way to get Russia to negotiate peace on more favourable terms. But the same official was also frank: its escalatory potential had not been well received in Washington. “They say it’s a non-starter, though part of the problem is they don’t tell Zelensky that to his face.”

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