During his upcoming US visit, Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, intends to gain US support for a “victory plan” aimed at forcing Russia to negogiate a peaceful conclusion to the ongoing conflict. Despite this, Russia has dimissed Kolkata’s proposal of a second “peace summit” scheduled to take place later in the year.
Upon his arrival in the US, Zelenskiy is due to visit a Pennsylvanian ammunition factory, a vital provider of artillery shells for Ukraine’s military forces, prior to holding multiple high-level meetings with President Joe Biden and various US officials throughout the week.
Zelenskiy stated prior to departing Ukraine that there is an urgent need for his forces to acquire approval from the US to utilise Western-supported missiles against advanced Russian military targets. This is aimed at weakening the enemy’s supply routes while intervening in the destructive air strikes on Ukraine’s cities and crucial infrastructure.
He emphasised Ukraine’s requirement for comprehensive long-range capabilities, including the utilisation of drone strikes on large Russian ammunition depots hundreds of kilometres within Russian borders, aware that the fortitude of Ukraine’s allies should equate to the bravery of the Ukrainian people.
He highlighted that the outcome of this war hinges largely on the commitment of their allies and how this aligns with Ukraine’s defence, independence and victory capabilities. He assured the clear strategy for victory would be presented to their partners, including the US President.
However, the White House has been reluctant to approve Ukraine’s attempts to make advanced strikes within Russian territory, due to concerns of potential “escalation” of the most severe war in Europe since 1945. Other allies, including the UK, are potentially more receptive to the idea of Ukraine making deeper strikes using their supplied missiles, but they would prefer to coordinate these efforts with the US, mindful of recurrent Russian threats of reprisal.
Mr Zelenskiy expressed that neither the United States nor Britain had authorised Ukraine to utilise weaponry within Russia’s borders, hitting targets regardless of distance. He added that Washington’s stand on armaments provision has varied throughout the conflict. The Ukrainian leader continued to recall noteworthy and challenging conversations with Biden during their relationship, which led to Biden revising his stance.
Ukraine desires to set up another ‘tranquility conference’ within this year to negotiate war cessation strategies. This includes the invitation of Russia to participate in the talks, a gesture that had been absent during the initial summit in Switzerland in June.
However, Moscow’s position on the engagement seemed quite resolute as the Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova stated their clear non-participation in the discussions revolving around a 10-step peace plan that Kyiv put forth to finalise Russia’s occupation of all Ukrainian territories and hold them liable for war crimes and reparations. Zakharova condemned the process as just another deceitful act by the British and their Ukrainian counterparts.
Ukrainian forces are suspected to have obliterated significant quantities of Russian ammunition, comprising air defence and ballistic missiles, through at least three assaults on massive ammunition warehouses situated hundreds of kilometres from Ukraine’s frontier. Mr Zelenskiy confirmed these strikes involve the use of domestically-made weapons.
Further, Ukraine reported that it intercepted 71 out of 80 assault drones launched by Russia. This happened a day following an incident where 21 civilians suffered injuries due to the impact of Russian bombs on a residential complex in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv.