Zelensky during a meeting with Biden in the Oval Office
Published September 29, 2024
It was billed as a decisive week for Ukraine.
A chance for President Volodymyr Zelensky to present his boldly named “victory plan” to America’s most powerful politicians, during a visit to the US.
But it’s unclear if Kyiv is any closer to getting any of the key asks on its wish list.
And Zelensky has antagonised senior Republicans, including Donald Trump.
Zelensky told the New Yorker magazine he believed Trump “doesn’t really know how to stop the war”, while he described his vice-presidential running mate JD Vance as “too radical”.
His remarks about Trump and Vance were a “big mistake”, says Mariya Zolkina, a Ukrainian political analyst and research fellow at the London School of Economics (LSE).
Separately, Zelensky’s visit to meet top democrats at an ammunition factory in the swing state of Pennsylvania was labelled as election interference by a senior congressional Republican.
The backlash to the visit came as a “big surprise” to Zelensky’s team, adds Ms Zolkina – an operation normally known for its slick PR.
Zelensky’s much-hyped visit was carefully timed to try and secure crucial support for Ukraine’s war effort from President Joe Biden, who has just months left in office.
But that also meant walking straight into a highly-charged US election campaign – a tightrope act.
After reports that Trump had decided to freeze Zelensky out, the pair did eventually meet on Friday at Trump Tower in New York City.
Standing side by side in front of reporters it was, at times, an awkward encounter.
Trump declared he had a “very good relationship” with both Zelensky and Russia’s Vladimir Putin – an equivalence that is painful to Ukrainian ears.
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SOURCE: www.bbc.com
RELATED: What is Zelenskyy’s ‘Victory Plan’ against Russia?
Long-range missiles and NATO membership for Ukraine: Here’s more about Zelenskyy’s plan to end the war on Kyiv’s terms.
Published September 28, 2024
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting the United States to lobby support for Ukraine.
On Thursday, he met US President Joe Biden and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris to detail what he has described in recent weeks as his “victory plan” for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
While exact details of Zelenskyy’s victory plan have not yet been made public, the Ukrainian president and his closest aides have revealed parts of it, with other elements reported in sections of the news media.
We take stock of what’s known about Zelenskyy’s blueprint for victory – and break down whether Ukraine’s allies are in agreement:
What is the big picture?
Zelenskyy’s blueprint for Ukraine’s victory is believed to be a five-point plan. In an interview with ABC News, the Ukrainian president described the plan as a “bridge” towards a strong enough negotiating position for Ukraine to force Russia to end the war on Kyiv’s terms.
Specifically, Zelenskyy mentioned Ukraine’s peace plan – which lays out what is acceptable to Kyiv in any future talks with Moscow. Under that plan, Ukraine demands that Russia withdraw from all Ukrainian territory that it currently holds, including parts of the provinces of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk, and all of Crimea. Ukraine’s peace plan demands accountability for the alleged war crimes committed by Russian authorities, led by President Vladimir Putin.
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