Zelensky attempts to revive flagging "Victory Plan" in London
It’s safe to say that the plan has already suffered some setbacks.
Volodymyr Zelensky was in London today, the first destination on his whistlestop European tour, as he urgently seeks to shore up support for his so-called “victory plan”, ahead of a major world event next month that he is anticipating with trepidation, writes Caitlin Allen.
That world event being the US election, which could culminate in the re-election of Donald Trump.
Today, the Ukrainian President held talks with Britain’s Prime Minister, during his second visit to Number 10 since Keir Starmer was elected, and with new Nato chief, Mark Rutte.
Details of their discussion haven’t been made public but Zelensky said in advance that he would be sharing details of his "victory plan" - his strategy for the next phase of the war - during the meeting.
The exact contents of the plan itself is also not yet public. But we do know that the proposals contain a list of concrete steps that Kyiv wants its allies to fulfil by the end of December. A number of these elements relate to Ukraine’s long-term security, including an accelerated schedule for joining NATO. Zelensky has also been clear that it includes allies granting Ukraine permission to use long-range missiles to strike military targets inside Russia.
It’s safe to say that the plan has already suffered some setbacks.
When the Ukrainian PM first unveiled it to President Biden during a trip to Washington last month, the White House was reportedly “unimpressed” with the vision laid out, with US officials concerned that it lacked a clear strategy.
The trip also did not, despite what many had anticipated, culminate in Biden finally giving Kyiv the greenlight to use donated long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russia.
In that context, it is unsurprising that Zelensky’s meeting in London today hasn’t concluded in any grand announcement from Starmer that Ukraine has full permission to use British-supplied Shadow Storm missiles to strike targets on Russian soil. While Zelensky made it clear in advance of today’s meeting that he would be pressing for such permission, he too would surely have known it was unlikely to prove fruitful. After all, Shadow Storm missiles rely on US systems to operate, meaning Starmer is taking his cues from Biden.
After London, Zelensky is off to Paris, Rome and Berlin.
While determined to appear upbeat about the tour, the itinerary itself is indicative of another fairly big blow he has suffered this week.
Zelensky intended on addressing all of his key allies together on Saturday at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, during a summit of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, chaired by Biden.
But the key meeting has been postponed - indefinitely - after the US President was forced to remain on domestic soil to focus on the emergency response to Hurricane Milton.
With the US election less than a month away now, it’s unclear if Zelensky will even get the chance to meet Biden again before he steps down.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Russian missiles hit a civilian container ship at a port in Ukraine's Odesa region today, killing eight people. According to the region's governor, Oleh Kiper, this is the third attack on a civilian vessel in the past four days.
And, while Kyiv is clinging on in the Kursk region, the Russians are making modest but strategically important gains on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, despite astronomical casualties.
Rutte warned this week that Ukraine could be facing its toughest winter since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Just how tough will, of course, depend enormously on the highly unpredictable outcome of 5 November.
Caitlin Allen
Deputy Editor
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FIVE THINGS
Curated by the Reaction Team - Olivia Gearson
1. Can Lebanon survive without Hezbollah? Michal Kranz on Lebanon’s political order in UnHerd.
2. Yassin al-Haj Saleh in New Lines on Seeing Israel clearly through Arab eyes.
3. The Moment of Truth: why George Washington is turning in his grave, by Tom Nichols in The Atlantic.
4. Sue Gray was just a symptom, not the disease, writes Juliet Samuel in The Times.
5. Why Hurricane Milton is a sign of the new abnormal. Elizabeth Kolbert in The New Yorker.