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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced plans to present a four-stage victory plan to President Biden, Vice President Harris, and former President Donald Trump.
What’s the deal: President Zelensky’s peace plan involves a four-stage strategy aimed at ending the war with Russia. Unlike traditional proposals, Zelensky’s approach is designed to turn up the pressure on Putin and bring the war to an end.
Four-Stage Peace Plan: The plan consists of four main components:
- Ongoing Military Incursion: Ukraine’s recent incursion into Russia’s Kursk region is designed to draw Russian forces away from eastern Ukraine. Zelensky said that doing this would deteriorate Russia’s resources on the eastern front.
- Global Security Role: In a statement, Zelensky said the global security role would cement “Ukraine’s strategic place in the security infrastructure of the world.”
- Diplomatic Pressure: Zelensky said, “The third direction is the powerful package of forcing Russia to end the war in a diplomatic way.”
- Economic Measures: Economic strategies aimed at stabilizing Ukraine and further isolating Russia from the world.
Update on the war: Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region has become a serious issue for the Russian military, which has struggled to reclaim captured territory. Ukrainian officials currently claim they control 500 square miles of Russian territory in the region. Satellite imagery also indicates that Ukraine is reinforcing fortifications, which suggests that Ukraine has plans to hold the territory. The incursion has reportedly led Russia to redeploy about 30,000 troops from the front lines in eastern Ukraine to the Kursk area.
Russia’s stance: Despite previously showing willingness to negotiate, Russia has ruled out peace talks due to Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk. This marks a notable shift, as Russia usually blames Ukraine and the West for not being willing to hold talks at ending the war. Russia’s previous offers to end the war include demands that some have labeled as “unrealistic non-starters,” like limiting the size of Ukraine’s military and Ukraine not joining NATO.
