Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv on Sept. 20 that the “victory plan” he intends to present to the United States and other allies in the coming days involves “quick decisions” from Ukraine’s partners—and getting permission to use Western-supplied missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia.
The Ukrainian president said at the presser alongside von der Leyen that he plans to meet with President Joe Biden in Washington on Sept. 26 and lay out his “victory plan,” the details of which remain scant.
“All the details [of the plan] I will discuss first of all with the president of the United States,“ Zelenskyy said. ”Most of the decisions from the plan depend specifically on him. On other allies too, but there are certain points which depend on the goodwill and support of the United States. I hope he supports this plan.”
Zelenskyy added that the success of the plan is “predicated upon quick decisions” from Ukraine’s partners, adding that key decisions on which the plan rests should be made between October and December.
“We really want to see this, and we would then consider that the plan has worked,” he said.
In a separate briefing with the Observer in Kyiv on Sept. 20, Zelenskyy said that the plan involved carrying out deep strikes inside Russia with the use of Western-supplied missiles, which the United States and the UK have so far refused to allow.
By allowing the use of U.S.-supplied missiles to carry out long-range strikes inside Russia, Biden would “earn a place in history,” Zelenskyy said.
“Biden can strengthen Ukraine and make important decisions for Ukraine to become stronger and to protect its independence while he is U.S. president,” he said. “I think it is a historical mission.”
“We are ready to present a concrete plan—not just for Ukraine to endure, not just to maintain our resistance at the current level, but to strengthen ourselves right now. To strengthen in such a way that brings a just peace closer, that brings victory closer,” Zelenskyy said.
“It’s about security. It’s about the geopolitical place for Ukraine,“ he said. ”It’s about very strong military support available to us, and that we have to be free in how to use one or another item. It’s about economical support, decisions, which I think will be interesting.”
Russia has warned that allowing strikes deep inside its territory with the use of Western-supplied missiles would amount to a declaration of war.
Several days ago, Vyacheslav Volodin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, warned Western governments that a nuclear war would break out if they gave Ukraine permission to use long-range Western weapons to strike targets inside Russia.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sept. 20 that the West should stop supplying weapons to Ukraine and sponsoring “terrorist activity” if it wants to send a signal that it is serious about putting an end to the war.
“As soon as they stop supplying arms to the Kyiv regime and sponsoring the terrorist activities of Bankova, then it can be perceived as a signal for political and diplomatic settlement,” she said.
“Everything else is either strengthening of anti-Russian ties with the West or an attempt to attract other members of the international community to their reckless schemes or elements of the current White House’s electoral program, so to speak, or maneuvering. In fact, this has nothing to do with peace.”
“We will be having the broad conversation on all the range of capabilities that we think are most important for Ukraine right now, to put it in a position of strength,” he said.
Carpenter also said that Biden considers Ukraine’s sovereignty and success a key part of his legacy.
