Ukraine’s Zelensky city-hops across Europe, promoting ‘victory plan’ to allies
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was city-hopping across Europe on Thursday to promote a “victory plan” that he said “aims to create the right conditions for a just end to the war” against Russia, detailing the proposals to European leaders after a scheduled summit involving U.S. President Biden was derailed by Hurricane Milton.
Zelensky’s talks in London with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte were quickly followed by another meeting in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron, who just the previous day sent a strong signal of support for Ukraine by visiting Ukrainian troops being trained in France.
Zelensky posted on X that he “outlined the details” of the Ukrainian victory plan to Starmer and added: “We have agreed to work on it together with our allies.”
He also met Rutte with Starmer. Zelensky posted afterward that they discussed trans-Atlantic cooperation and further reinforcing Ukraine militarily. He gave no details but posted that “these are the steps that will create the best conditions for restoring a just peace.”
Ukrainian President Zelensky is all over Europe, including at the G-7. His message? Ukraine’s war with Russia and Putin is Europe’s fight, too.
Zelensky has yet to publicly present the proposals for victory. But the timing of his efforts to lock in European support appeared to have the looming U.S. election in mind. Former President Trump has long been critical of U.S. aid to Ukraine.
The Ukrainian leader had been due to present his blueprint at a weekend meeting of Western leaders and defense ministers in Germany, but it was postponed because Biden said he had to stay home to respond to Hurricane Milton’s landfall in Florida.
Zelensky said Wednesday he hoped the meeting could be rescheduled soon and then embarked on his whistle-stop tour of European capitals that have been among Ukraine’s staunchest allies outside of the United States.
Starmer described his talks with Zelensky as a chance to “go through the plan, to talk in more detail.”
Macron hasn’t said what he thinks of the victory plan or even whether he’s seen it. He and Zelensky hugged as they went into their meeting at the French presidential Elysee Palace.
The European Union vows to lend Ukraine up to $39 billion, underwritten by the windfall profits earned on almost $300 billion in frozen Russian assets.
Zelensky will travel later Thursday to Rome for talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. He also has a half-hour audience on Friday with Pope Francis, the Vatican said.
Later Friday, he’ll be meeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin.
Ukraine relies heavily on Western support, including tens of billions of dollars’ worth of military and financial aid, to keep up the fight against its bigger enemy after almost 1,000 days of fighting.
Fearing that crucial help could be in jeopardy due to political changes in donor countries, Ukraine has been building up its domestic arms industry. It also wants to raise more money from taxpayers to pay for the war effort. The Ukrainian parliament passed a bill on second reading Thursday that raises the so-called military tax from 1.5% to 5%. Some amendments are expected before it becomes law.
The details of Zelensky’s plan have been kept quiet but contours have emerged, including the need for fast action on decisions Western allies have been mulling since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Zelensky said Wednesday at a summit in Croatia with leaders of southeastern European states that the plan seeks to strengthen Ukraine “both geopolitically and on the battlefield” before any kind of dialogue with Russia.
Biden and Zelensky sign deal on G-7 sidelines. The U.S. and European countries agree to freeze Russia’s sanctioned Russian assets until it pays Ukraine war reparations.
“Weakness of any of our allies will inspire [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” he said. “That’s why we’re asking them to strengthen us, in terms of security guarantees, in terms of weapons, in terms of our future after this war. In my view, he [Putin] only understands force.”
Kyiv is still awaiting word from Western partners on its repeated requests to use the long-range weapons they provide to hit targets deep inside Russia. While some, including the U.K., are thought to be willing, Biden has held back out of concern it could escalate the conflict.
Zelensky’s tour comes as Russia continues a slow but relentless drive deeper into Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region and targets key infrastructure with airstrikes.
The death toll from a Russian ballistic missile strike on Ukraine’s southern city of Odesa has risen to eight, regional Gov. Oleh Kiper said Thursday. It’s the latest in a string of assaults on the Black Sea port.
A civilian container ship under a Panamanian flag was hit in the attack on Wednesday, Kiper said on Telegram. He said it was the third attack on a civilian vessel in the past four days.
Associated Press writers Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Jill Lawless in London, John Leicester in Paris, Giada Zampano in Rome and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this story.
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