By Max Hunder
KYIV (Reuters) – Here are the five main points of a Ukrainian plan for victory against Russian invading forces no later than next year as outlined by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday. Another three points were secret, he said, as he unveiled the plan in a speech at Ukraine’s parliament:
NATO INVITE
Ukraine needs an unconditional invitation to join the NATO military alliance now, he said.
“We understand that NATO membership is a matter of the future, not the present. But (Russian President Vladimir) Putin can see that his geopolitical calculations are headed for defeat,” Zelenskiy said.
BEEF UP UKRAINE’S DEFENCE CAPABILITIES
He said Ukraine’s ability to defend itself had to be “irreversibly strengthened” and laid out a number of ways to do this.
They included further arming Ukraine and strengthening its defence industry, boosting air defence capabilities, removing restrictions on weapon use and a continuation of Ukrainian military operations on Russian soil.
DETERRENCE
Zelenskiy said Ukraine’s western allies should deter Russia from any further aggression by showing Moscow that this would have consequences.
“Ukraine proposes to place on its soil a comprehensive non-nuclear strategic deterrence package that will be sufficient to protect Ukraine from any military threat from Russia,” he said.
He said there was also a secret addendum to this part of the plan, and did not go into further detail on what the proposed deterrence involved.
STRATEGIC ECONOMIC POTENTIAL
Zelenskiy proposed that Ukraine sign an agreement with the U.S., EU and other unnamed allies that would allow for joint investments and use of Ukraine’s natural resources, which Zelenskiy said were worth trillions of dollars.
“These include, in particular, uranium, titanium, lithium, graphite and other strategically valuable resources that will strengthen either Russia and its allies or Ukraine and the democratic world in global competition,” he said.
UKRAINE STRENGTHENING NATO
Zelenskiy proposed that after the war, Ukraine’s armed forces could be used to enhance the security of NATO, and replace some of the U.S. forces currently stationed in Europe.
(Reporting by Max Hunder; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
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