Ukraine's Zelenskiy says 'victory plan' is ready

19/9/2024 5:53

        President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said
        on Wednesday that his "Victory Plan", intended to bring peace to
        Ukraine while keeping the country strong an avoiding all "frozen
        conflicts", was now complete after much consultation.
        
        Zelenskiy pledged last month to present his plan to U.S.
        President Joe Biden, presumably next week when he attends
        sessions of the U.N. Security Council and General Assembly.
        
        While providing daily updates on the plan's preparation,
        Zelenskiy has given few clues of the contents, indicating only
        that it aims to create terms acceptable to Ukraine, now locked
        in conflict with Russia for more than 2 1/2 years.
        
        "Today, it can be said that our victory plan is fully
        prepared. All the points, all key focus areas and all necessary
        detailed additions of the plan have been defined," Zelenskiy
        said in his nightly video address.
        
        "The most important thing is the determination to implement
        it.
        
        There was, Zelenskiy said, no alternative to peace, "no
        freezing of the war or any other manipulations that would simply
        postpone Russian aggression to another stage".
        
        On Tuesday, the president said a meeting with top commanders
        had produced "good and strong content" in military terms,
        "precisely the kind that can significantly strengthen Ukraine".
        
        Zelenskiy has used as the basis for negotiations a peace
        plan he presented in late 2022 calling for a withdrawal of all
        Russian troops, the restoration of Ukraine's post-Soviet borders
        and a means to bring Russian to account for its invasion.
        
        The plan was the focal point of a "peace summit" hosted by
        Switzerland in June with participants pledging to convene a
        second summit later this year. Russia was not invited to the
        June summit and branded it as meaningless, though Ukraine and
        its allies say Moscow could attend the next gathering.
        
        Zelenskiy has rejected any notion of negotiations while
        Russian troops occupy nearly 20% of the country's territory.
        
        Russia has repeatedly said it is willing to negotiate, but
        rules out discussions while Ukrainian forces remain in its
        southern Kursk region an incursion into the area last month.