In this photo provided by the press service of the President of Ukraine on October 16, 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to lawmakers at the Verkhovna Rada in Kiev, Ukraine. , Photo Credit: AP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke on Wednesday (October 16, 2024) Plan to win your country’s fight against Russian invasion Next year could bring peace, but it includes a step that some key Western allies have so far refused to accept: inviting Ukraine to join NATO before the war ends.
“If we start moving forward now according to this victory plan, it may be possible to end the war before next year,” Mr. Zelensky told his country’s parliament.
He has recently been trying to gain approval for the plan from Western partners, who have so far stopped short of publicly expressing their support for it.
The first point in Mr. Zelensky’s five-point plan, presented in a speech in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, is perhaps the most ambitious and the one most likely to repel Western allies: keeping Ukraine in NATO as long as the fighting continues. .
Mr Zelensky said granting Ukraine membership in the coalition would be “proof of (the allies’) determination” to support Ukraine.
However, this may be too ambitious a move.
NATO’s collective security guarantee – Article 5 of the Treaty of Military Alliance – is the pillar on which its credibility is based. It is a political commitment of all member states to come to the aid of any member whose sovereignty or territory may be under attack.
nato He makes his decisions by consensus, and many allies – including the United States and Germany – refuse to allow Ukraine to continue fighting because they fear being dragged into a wider war with Russia.
At their summit in Washington in July, NATO’s 32 members declared Ukraine on an “irreversible” path to membership in the Western military alliance. Any decision on the offer to launch membership negotiations is unlikely to be made before the next summit in the Netherlands in June.
Ukrainian troops are having trouble holding off Russia’s military might, especially in the eastern Donetsk region where they slowly being pushed backAlthough Russia’s advantages are increasing, its continued advance is slowing down and Ukraine is feeling the need for large-scale Western help.
But there are signs that Western support may be waning, driven by a focus on Middle East wars and domestic political concerns. The US elections next month could bring a major change in Ukraine’s fortunes, as Washington has been the largest provider of military aid.
Mr Zelensky acknowledged publicly for the first time that in private talks with Ukraine its Western partners have been talking about “negotiations” with Russia and rarely using the word “justice” in conversations about the war. Are.
He also raised the stakes in Ukraine by reiterating his recent claims North Korea is now sending military personnel to help Russia’s war effortAlso delivering ammunition, and Iran and China are also assisting Moscow.
Officials said Mr. Zelensky’s “victory plan” included confidential sections that he has not mentioned in parliament.
Other aspects of the plan include continued attacks on targets on Russian soil, including incursions into Russia’s Kursk border area that began in August, and more long-range drone attacks on Russian infrastructure.
Ukraine also needs more, he said air defense system and access to a wide range of intelligence from allies.
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine is rich in natural resources, including “trillions of US dollars worth” of vital metals such as uranium, titanium, lithium, graphite and others.
Those Ukrainian assets, as well as the country’s agricultural production, are among Russia’s key targets in a war, he said, but could be shared with partners in the post-war period. Also in the post-war period, battle-hardened Ukrainian soldiers would be an asset to NATO efforts to keep Russia at bay.
published – October 16, 2024 05:44 PM IST