Zelenskyy Seeks Quick Action From Supporters on Forthcoming Victory Plan, Continues Push For Long-Range Strike Capabilities

Last updated on September 21st, 2024 at 04:59 pm

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his plan to end the Russia-Ukraine is contingent on quick actions by Ukraine’s various foreign backers, including the U.S. government.

Zelenskyy has been signaling for weeks he’s preparing to present President Joe Biden with his plan to end the war, which began in 2014 as a limited battle against pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas region and has been a costly and grinding attritional conflict with Russia since February 2022.

Speaking alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sept. 20, Zelenskyy said, “The Plan is based on decisions that should take place from October through December, without delaying the process.”

“That is our hope. In this case, we will consider the Plan will work out,” he continued.

Standing alongside the European Commission president, Zelenskyy said he intends to share his victory plan with Biden at a Sept. 26 meeting.

Zelenskyy has offered few details about the victory plan thus far. Still, the Ukrainian leader’s call for his backers to be ready for quick action comes amid months of pressure for said backers to allow Ukrainian forces to strike deep inside Russian territory with donated weapons systems.

“If we could direct all our precision to the defense of our state, if we had enough missiles and the permissions that our partners can provide, the overall situation in the war would be much better for our security,” Zelenskyy said in a follow-up set of comments on Sept. 21.

In his Sept. 21 statement, the Ukrainian leader said he intends to discuss obtaining permission for long-ranged strikes on Russia next week. The proximate timeline of these long-range strike discussions, alongside his plans to meet with Biden to discuss his victory plan, suggests the request will factor heavily in his vision for how to end the war.

The Biden administration has permitted Ukrainian forces to use donated long-range weapons in limited contexts inside Russia’s borders but has resisted calls to further relax the rules of engagement.

If Zelenskyy’s plan to end the war with Russia rides on quick permission to conduct long-range strikes, he may face skepticism.

Facing questions about Zelenskyy’s requests for long-range strike permissions at a Sept. 6 press conference, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, “There’s no one capability that will in and of itself be decisive in this campaign. We had this discussion about tanks. We had this discussion about other capabilities and each time we point out that it’s not just one thing, it’s the combination of capabilities and how you integrate those capabilities to achieve objectives.”

Allowing extensive long-range strikes in Russia also risks escalating the fight in Ukraine into a wider conflict between Russia and Ukraine’s various backers. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly suggested long-range strikes inside Russia with donated weapons would implicate those donors in the conflict.