President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wants NATO to deploy a “comprehensive” deterrent force on Ukrainian soil so strong that Russia cannot pursue the war any further.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy unveils his much-touted victory plan, revealing a condensed list of Ukraine's longstanding demands, including immediate membership in NATO and permission to use Western weapons in deep strikes against Russia. did. The wartime leader has been promoting the five-part plan for weeks in Western capitals, including visits to the United States and Britain.
After speaking on Wednesday, Zelensky traveled to Brussels on Thursday to speak again to address European and NATO leaders in person. However, early indications were that these decision-makers were unmoved, especially on the issue of NATO membership. According to Deutsche Welle, NATO's new Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Thursday morning: [to membership] That will happen, but I am absolutely sure that in the future Ukraine will also join us… Obviously we want to be in a place where Zelensky and Ukraine can start negotiations with Russia from a position of strength. I think so. ”
None of his supporters have yet publicly said they fully accept his proposals, and his diplomatic visits have failed to elicit much new support, but Ukraine's Leaders moved forward with the plan and made most of its contents public. Speech to the Ukrainian parliament on Wednesday. The speech made clear the vast scope of the demands he is making of Western allies, even though most of them are already long-standing Ukrainian demands.
President Zelenskiy said allies should be willing to show their full support for Ukraine by issuing it an “unconditional invitation now” to join NATO. This is not an easy question. Ukraine has been campaigning to join NATO since the war began, but has been repeatedly rejected as not ready to join. Far beyond the technical requirements necessary for membership, making Ukraine a full member of NATO could put all other members of the alliance in a de facto state of war with Russia, and this is clearly contrary to US foreign policy.
President Zelenskiy said: “Ukraine proposes to deploy a comprehensive non-nuclear strategic deterrence package on its soil, which is sufficient to protect Ukraine from any military threat from Russia.'' , which would narrow the variability of Russia's actions into two prospects: an honest end to the war, or the implementation of the deterrence package provided to Ukraine, thereby losing its ability to continue the war of aggression. It's a diplomatic process.”
It was not made clear what the non-nuclear deterrent would be, and President Zelenskiy said it was outlined in a secret annex to the plan. Overall, he said, Russia must be “forced” into peace.
Other points in Mr. Zelensky's plan include economic growth, including foreign investment in Ukraine's industry and natural resources, and additional sanctions on Russia, but there is also another Western military aid to Mr. Zelensky. The main demand is permission to use long-range missiles, which the country has already been granted by NATO. Its members plan to strike deep into Russian territory.
At present, the missiles are granted under agreements with countries such as the United States, Britain and France, which state they should only be used for attacks near the front lines or in Russian-occupied territories such as Crimea. are. It has already had a devastating effect on the Russian military. However, many of the deadliest attacks against Ukraine now involve long-range glide bombs, which are carried to launch height by bombers from air bases deep in the Russian Federation. These bombs are difficult to shoot down, and the airbases that Ukraine says it wants to attack are the ones operated by planes to deter attacks before they begin.
But the U.S. government is deeply skeptical of the plan, worried that a missile strike deep into Russia could serve as a provocation that could push President Vladimir Putin into a corner.
The problem for Ukraine remains that much of what President Zelenskiy needs to end the war that he considers acceptable is not something that his Western allies are comfortable providing. NATO has said it wants Ukraine to join, but it is clear that it will only do so after the fighting ends, the country is no longer occupied by foreign forces, and it meets the alliance's other membership requirements, not before. be.
It's unclear what exactly NATO's “comprehensive non-nuclear strategic deterrence package” would mean for Ukraine, but it could mean a significant build-up of the Ukrainian military, or a deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine, meaning a move into the cold. It could mean either regression. The days of the war when a large West German army faced off against the Soviet army.
