Two ideas included in the Victory Plan of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky were developed taking into account the potential presidency of Donald Trump. During a meeting with Zelensky in September, Trump took an interest in both.
This is reported by the Financial Times with reference to sources.
Ukraine is developing its Victory Plan for the incoming Trump administration, highlighting potential business deals, access to raw materials and military deployments in an attempt to influence the business-savvy US president-elect.
According to Ukrainian and European officials, Kyivʼs allies in the EU and the US, including high-ranking Republicans, have provided advice on how best to formulate proposals that encourage close cooperation rather than cutting off critical aid to Ukraine.
According to people involved in the drafting of the Victory Plan, there are two ideas in the document that take into account Trumpʼs interests. These proposals were later presented to the current US president-elect during his meeting with Zelensky in New York in September.
One of the ideas involves replacing part of the American troops stationed in Europe with Ukrainian forces after the war. Another point of the plan was first developed by Republican Senator and Trump ally Lindsey Graham. He proposes to share Ukraineʼs critically important natural resources with Western partners. And during the meeting with Zelensky, Trump was "interested" in both points, claims a person informed about the course of the conversation.
Separately, business leaders in Ukraine are also discussing with the government the granting of "investment review" powers to Trump. This will effectively allow him to choose who will be able to do business in the country. One of the planners described the idea as "anyone but Chinaʼs BHOC," which might be particularly appealing to Trump. Ukrainian industries that depend on Chinese technology and materials could then switch to American suppliers and attract more Western investment. The idea is still in the early stages of discussion, but business leaders close to the Office of the President are confident that it will interest Trump.
The Victory Plan
On October 16, President Zelensky publicly presented the Victory Plan in detail for the first time, speaking before Ukrainian deputies in the Verkhovna Rada. It contains five points. The first four are designed for implementation during the war, and the last — after the war.
Invitation to NATO even before the end of the war. Zelensky claims that this will be a "testament of determination" and will show how the partners see Ukraine in the "security architecture".
Strengthening the defense. This clause provides for the continuation of the operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the territory of Russia and the lifting of restrictions on strikes deep into the Russian Federation, the joint repulsion of Russian air attacks with friendly neighbouring countries and access to intelligence partners.
Containment of Russia. Ukraine proposes to deploy a comprehensive non-nuclear strategic deterrence package on its land, which will be sufficient to protect the state in the future. The clause provides for the joint production of weapons, in particular the financing of weapons production in Ukraine by the West.
Development of Ukraineʼs strategic and economic potential and strengthening of sanctions against the Russian Federation. Valuable resources are concentrated in Ukraine, including uranium, titanium, and lithium. They can strengthen Ukraine and allies. Ukraine proposes to sign special agreements with the EU and the USA on joint protection, investment in mining and use of these resources.
The US contingent in NATO will be able to replace the Ukrainian military. After the end of the war, the Ukrainian military can use its experience to strengthen the defense of NATO and Europe.
The plan also contains secret supplements that have already been shared with partners. According to the president, the implementation of each item is calculated for a certain period of time, and if you start implementing it right now, the war will be able to be ended no later than the end of next year.
- In the USA, on November 5, the election of the 47th president of the country was held — the candidate from the Republican Party Donald Trump won. He already has 312 electoral votes out of the required 270. Meanwhile, Democrat Kamala Harris has 226 votes. This means that Trump actually won, but the Electoral College will make a formal decision on the election of the president on December 17, 2024, and the inauguration will take place on January 20, 2025.
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