Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to meet once again with US President Joe Biden, reportedly set for September. On Tuesday Zelensky revealed that he intends at that time to present the White House with a plan for victory against Russia. But more important is what happens after the US presidential election..
He specified that his plan will also be directly presented to Vice President Kamala Harris as well as former President Donald Trump as the two candidates head into the November election.
"The plan is prepared. I think it’s right that I first present this plan to the US President." Zelensky was quoted in Ukrainian media as saying. "The success of this plan depends on whether we get what is outlined in it, or if we are free to use what is included."
"Kursk region is part of our plan—Ukraine's victory plan. It may sound overly ambitious to some, but for us, it's an important plan," Zelensky continued.
It has long been speculated since the Aug.6 Kursk incursion began, which has resulted in Kiev forces actually holding Russian territory, that part of the 'shock' nature of the operation is to gain more leverage in potential future negotiations with Moscow.
Another stated reason for Kursk among Ukraine officials is to divert Russian manpower from the front lines in Donbass. Yet by all accounts, Russia is still gaining ground in eastern Ukraine.
President Putin has since said that the Kursk invasion means that any and all opportunities for peace talks are definitely off at this point.
Yet ironically Zelensky is describing that part of his 'victory plan' is to build enough leverage on the battlefield (with the help of the West) to be able to sit down with Moscow on equal footing:
According to him, this is the first direction of the peace plan. The next steps include securing Ukraine's position in the strategic security infrastructure of the world and a package to compel Russia to end the war through diplomatic means.
Zelensky has also claimed that his Kursk operation has revealed to the world that Putin's 'red lines' are non-existent. He's been using this message to try and get NATO to escalate its involvement. As a first request, Zelensky has been pleading for Europe and the US to allow long-range missiles to be used to strike deep into Russian territory. He wants 'no limits' on the use of Western weapons systems.
"They don't want to talk about it, and I keep bringing it up," Zelensky said Tuesday in reference to the 'red line' issue. "The Olympics are over, but ping pong is still there."
Currently there's still an official ban in place prohibiting Kiev forces from attacking deep into Russian territory using US-made ATACMS missiles and British-made Storm Shadows. However, there's been ample evidence showing that ATACMS missiles are already being used in the context of Kursk. But the US has essentially been throttling the potential range of these missiles, given that longer range missiles are possible but are being withheld.
When Zelensky keeps talking about his “peace formula” - an ultimatum demanding that Russia withdraws all troops - it sounds sad and weird now that the front is collapsing near Pokrovsk agglomeration.
— Leonid Ragozin (@leonidragozin) August 27, 2024
But today he said that he has a “victory plan” that will be presented to…
Kamala Harris is likely to continue Biden's policy of arming Ukraine to the teeth while shunning the idea of ceasefire talks, while Trump has repeatedly vowed to immediately begin working on a deal to end the war. Trump has even vowed to achieve peace within 24 hours. Ukraine officials have balked at this scenario, given it would require Ukraine to permanently give up territory in the east.
