Ukraine victory plan How Zelensky wants to win the war - in 5 points

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly presented his victory plan in Kiev. Its success depends to a large extent on how the NATO states decide.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky presented his five-point victory plan for ending the war with Russia in Kiev. Central to this is a swift invitation to join the Western military alliance NATO.

"Over the course of decades, Russia has exploited the geopolitical uncertainty in Europe and the fact that Ukraine is not a member of NATO," the head of state emphasized in parliament before the MPs and the assembled national leadership. This had led Russia to attack Ukraine. The invitation to join NATO would become "a real foundation for peace". The five points and their chances of realization:

There is no consensus on this issue within NATO. The NATO leadership regularly emphasizes that Kiev can join the alliance in the future. However, several alliance states are publicly opposed to the prospect of such an accession. One of Moscow's declared war aims is also to force a neutral status for Ukraine.

A second point provides for a strengthening of defense. In addition, the war is to be extended to the territory of Russia. "This is realistic - to maintain our positions on the battlefield in Ukraine and at the same time bring the war back to the territory of Russia so that the Russians really feel what war means," said Selensky. The aim is to channel the Russians' hatred towards the Kremlin. To this end, the Ukrainian army's operation in the Russian border region of Kursk, which has been ongoing since August, is to be continued.

The implementation of this point also requires approval for the use of Western weapons against targets on Russian territory. As far as is known, the USA, Great Britain and France have so far supplied Ukraine with missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers. The USA has so far rejected this release. The UK's position is more flexible.

Ukraine tickerZelensky calls for show of strength from Ukrainians in the fall

In addition, sufficient conventional weapons are to be produced and stationed in Ukraine with the help of Western partners in order to deter Russia from further attacks. "If Russia knows that there will be a response and understands what this response looks like, they will choose negotiations and stable coexistence even with strategic opponents," said the President, explaining the plan. Peace should thus be enforced through strength.

Many Western arms companies are starting to produce in Ukraine. However, Zelenskyi is hoping for the necessary financing from Western countries. After more than two and a half years of unprecedented aid, countries such as the USA and Germany are gradually reducing their support.

Ukraine has valuable raw materials "worth trillions of US dollars", said Selenskyj. He cited uranium, titanium, lithium and graphite as examples. The question was whether these resources would fall to Russia and its allies in global competition or remain with Ukraine and - as he said - the democratic world. With this proposal, Zelensky is trying to entice Western partners. In Moscow, too, it is often argued that Russia must secure these raw materials for itself.

Zelenskyi said that Ukraine would use its military experience for the security of Europe and NATO after the end of the Russian war of aggression. Its soldiers could even replace US troops in Europe, he said. This proposal is obviously aimed at the USA. They hope to reduce their involvement on the European continent - whether under a Republican or Democratic government. However, the Ukrainian proposal would require complicated coordination between Washington, the European capitals and Kiev.

Selenskyj had already presented this plan, including non-public parts, in Washington, London, Paris, Rome and Berlin. A presentation is planned for the European Council in Brussels on Thursday. The Ukrainian president hopes to end the war next year on his own terms. Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion for more than two years with Western help.