The decisions made by allies will have a significant impact on Ukraine’s proposed “victory plan”, Kyiv expressed, which it intends to introduce to the US in the upcoming week. Alongside this, the EU promised to increase financial assistance for Ukraine and aid its badly affected energy sector as winter approaches.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has a planned meeting with his US counterpart, Joe Biden, in Washington next Thursday. He aims to gain more global support to pressure Russia into ending their invasion and negotiate for a just peace.
Zelenskiy during his Friday meeting with the visiting President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv, stated that the “victory plan” relies heavily on timely decisions by their allies, including the US. For the plan to work, specific measures, critical to the months of October to December, must not be delayed, detailed Zelenskiy.
The details of Ukraine’s plan remain undisclosed, though they’ve been seeking permission to hit military targets within Russia using missiles provided by western allies for several months. Kyiv believes this would disrupt Russia’s military supply chain and lessen daily air raids on Ukraine’s towns, cities and its already critically damaged power supply. However, the US has denied these requests due to concerns of escalating the largest war Europe has seen since 1945 and potential conflicts with NATO or Russia’s use of nuclear weapons.
The suggested plan was ridiculed by Maria Zakharova, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, who saw it as a move to prevent the anti-Russian coalition from disintegrating, with no links to finding a political and diplomatic solution to the Ukraine issue.
She warned that the use of western weaponry by Ukraine for deeper strikes equates to the US, NATO countries and European nations battling against Russia. Given this potential shift in the nature of the conflict, Russia would respond based on the threats presented.
Furthermore, due to Russian missiles and explosive drones, roughly half of Ukraine’s electricity generating abilities have been obliterated. This has led Ukraine officials to predict prolonged power outages throughout the winter.
Dr von der Leyen has stated that the EU will offer Ukraine a loan of up to €35 billion through a G7 loan programme, financed by the interest accumulated from seized Russian assets. “Russia persistently assaults your civil energy structures in a stark and ruthless manner to plunge your nation into darkness,” she declared in Kyiv. “The European Union is standing by your side to assist in maintaining the electricity, providing warmth to your population with winter on the horizon, and sustaining your economy amid your fight for existence.”