Zelenskyy says ‘victory plan’ to end Russia war includes NATO membership 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his “victory plan” to end the war with Russia includes requests for specific weapons and an “unconditional” invitation to join NATO now.

“If we start moving according to this victory plan now, it may be possible to end the war no later than next year,” Zelenskyy said on Wednesday in a speech to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament.

The first, he told lawmakers, was receiving an “unconditional invitation” to join the military alliance, which would show “how our partners truly see Ukraine’s place in the security architecture”.

The Ukrainian leader recently concluded a whirlwind tour of several European capitals, trying to win approval for the five-point plan from Western partners, which have stopped short of publicly voicing their support for it so far.

“Regardless of what [Russian President Vladimir] Putin wants, we must all change the circumstances so that Russia is forced to peace,” he told parliament of the proposal that also includes military, political and economic elements.

Ukraine’s defence forces and weapons must be bolstered from Russian missile and drone attacks, he said, reiterating a call for his country’s allies to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range arms on military targets in Russia.

Russia was quick to dismiss Zelenskyy’s proposal, calling it “some ephemeral peace plan”.

“The only peace plan there can be is for the Kyiv regime to realise the futility of the policy it is pursuing and understand the need to sober up,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

The plan’s main elements also include a refusal to cede more Ukrainian territory, the continuation of the incursion into the Kursk region of Russia, where Ukraine launched a surprise incursion in August, and post-war reconstruction pledges.

Zelenskyy emphasised that the solution to end the more than two years of war since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 was not a frozen conflict and “not a trade-in Ukraine’s territory or sovereignty”.

He also criticised China, Iran and North Korea for supporting Russia, calling them a “coalition of criminals”.

The speech comes as Ukraine is suffering losses along the eastern front as Russian forces inch closer to a strategically significant victory of gaining Pokrovsk.

Ukraine is also struggling to replenish its forces with an unpopular mobilisation drive, limited ammunition stocks and Russian dominance in the skies.

Zelenskyy’s speech sought to persuade a public exhausted by the war that the fighting could be ended soon.

“We achieved and are achieving results in battles thanks to our unity. Therefore, please do not lose unity,” he said.

He subsequently posted on social media platform X that his plan “is a guarantee that the madmen in the Kremlin will lose the ability to continue the war”, calling it a “path to honest diplomacy”.

“But on this path, Ukraine must remain strong, united, and aware – aware that while Russia cannot let go of Ukraine, it must lose Ukraine.”

The plan was shared with US President Joe Biden, as well as presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in September, along with allies such as the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Germany.

Zelenskyy will present his “victory plan” to European leaders on Thursday during a summit in Brussels.