Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on October 17 outlined details of his “victory plan” — a set of measures he says would turn the tide of the war in Kyiv’s favor — to Ukraine’s EU and NATO allies as he seeks to convince them to invite Ukraine to join NATO and secure more military aid ahead of a difficult winter on the battlefield and in its battered cities.
“If we start now and follow the victory plan, we can end this war no later than next year,” Zelenskiy told EU leaders.
He told reporters the plan aims “to strengthen Ukraine” and pave the way for a diplomatic solution to end the conflict.
“This plan doesn’t depend on Russian will, only on the will of our partners,” he said before addressing leaders at an EU summit.
Zelenskiy also warned that his country has intelligence information that 10,000 troops from North Korea are being prepared to join Russian forces fighting against his country, calling any North Korean involvement “the first step to a world war.”
Ukraine’s Western allies have yet to confirm Kyiv’s assertion that Pyongyang is sending troops, though they say they are studying it.
NATO Secretary-General Mark said at a joint press conference with Zelenskiy that NATO had seen no evidence North Korean soldiers are involved in the fight, but added it is known North Korea is supporting Russia with weapons and technology and “that is highly worrying.”
As Zelenskiy prepared to pitch his proposed plan in Brussels first to the EU summit and then to a meeting of NATO defense ministers, Ukraine was subjected to a fresh wave of drone strikes that targeted the Kyiv and critical energy infrastructure in the south.
The Ukrainian leader partially unveiled his victory plan measures in a speech to Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, on October 16, after presenting the five-point plan — which he said has three secret appendices — to Ukraine’s main Western allies, including U.S. President Joe Biden and the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, and Italy.
The plan, which rules out ceding Ukrainian territory, calls for an invitation for Kyiv to join the NATO military alliance and the deployment of a strategic nonnuclear deterrent package in Ukraine.
So far, while declaring that Ukraine will eventually become a member, NATO has not given a clear deadline, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Kyiv’s intention to join the alliance was one of the reasons for Russia’s invasion.
WATCH: Ukraine has two options, either nuclear weapons or NATO membership, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.
The Kremlin reacted to Zelenskiy’s “victory plan” on October 17 by saying it would lead to further escalation with the risk of direct conflict between Russia and NATO, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
Rutte, speaking at the joint press conference, said NATO is working to get Ukraine ever closer to the alliance, adding it was essential NATO continued to provide the country with military aid.
“Ukraine will be member of NATO, there is no doubt about it, and until that happens we will make sure that Ukraine has everything it needs to prevail,” he said.
Rutte told journalists earlier that the organization is with Ukraine “for the long haul” and wants Kyiv to be in a strong position before it opens negotiations with Moscow.
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith told reporters on October 16 that while Kyiv’s path toward eventual NATO membership was “irreversible,” she said “we are not at the point right now where the alliance is talking about issuing an invitation in the short term.”
WATCH: Residents of two Ukrainian cities — Mykolayiv and Odesa — shared their thoughts about President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s “victory plan.”
Separately, EU Council President Charles Michel told reporters before heading into the summit that the 27-member bloc needs to speed up its support for Ukraine, both militarily and financially.
One of Zelenskiy’s main requests is calling for the “lifting by partners of restrictions on the use of long-range weapons on the entire territory of Ukraine occupied by Russia and on Russian territory and on enemy military infrastructure” and help in “equipping our reserve brigades.”
Zelenskiy said on October 17 that he had discussed the plan again during a phone call with Biden the previous evening.
“I am grateful to President Biden, both parties in Congress, and the American people for the $425 million defense package announced today, which includes new air defense systems and long-range weapons,” Zelenskiy wrote on X.
“We also talked about how our teams will work on the points of the victory plan,” he added.
However, ahead of the NATO meeting with Zelenskiy, Smith told reporters on July 16 that Washington’s position on the restrictions to use long-range weapons deeper inside Russia remained unchanged.
“I don’t have anything to announce about a change in U.S. policy. I see that we still are at the same place where we’ve been, and that is that we will get Ukraine all the assistance that it needs to defend its territory,” she said.
On October 17, Russia attacked Ukraine with 56 drones and one cruise missile, the Ukrainian Air Force reported. The head of Kyiv’s military administration, Serhiy Popko, said the capital was attacked by Russian drones, while Vitaliy Kim, the governor of Mykolayiv, said Russian strikes targeted energy infrastructure in the southern region.
Ukrainian air-defense systems shot down 22 Russian drones over the Sumy, Kyiv, Poltava, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Mykolayiv, Cherkasy, Odesa, and Ternopil regions, while 27 drones were forced down by electronic jamming, the air force said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its air-defense systems shot down 13 Ukrainian drones over three of its regions early on October 17.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP
