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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has unveiled the much-anticipated five-point “victory plan” which he hopes could bring an end to Russia’s war by the end of next year.
An invitation to join Nato and specific weapons support from western allies sits front-and-centre of Kyiv’s plan, which Zelensky discussed with Britain, the United States, France, Italy and Germany leaders in a whirlwind tour.
The plan’s third point calls for a non-nuclear deterrence mechanism with the power to destroy Russia’s military, Zelensky told the members of Ukrainian parliament on Wednesday morning.
Mr Zelensky said there is a secret addendum to the third point, which he could not disclose.
In renewed Western aid to Kyiv, Australia is sending dozens of soon-to-be-replaced Abrams tanks to Ukraine as part of a new military support package worth $245m (£126m).
“This will bolster the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion,” the Australian government’s defence department said.
Mr Zelensky is expected to attend a Nato defence ministers’ meeting on Thursday.
Latvia says it supports Zelensky’s victory plan
Latvia supports Volodymyr Zelensky’s “Victory Plan”, the country’s defence minister Andris Spruds has said.
Speaking to reporters ahead of today’s Nato meeting, Mr Spruds added that air policing by the Western military alliance over the Baltic states to the defence mission must be upgraded.
Andy Gregory17 October 2024 09:17
Nato will support Ukraine until it can negotiate from position of strength, says alliance’s chief
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky should be able to start talks with Russia from a position of strength, Nato chief Mark Rutte has said.
“We are in this, if necessary, for the long haul,” said Mr Rutte. “Obviously we want to be in a place where Ukraine, from a position of strength, is able to start talks with Russia, but till that moment comes, he can count on continuing support.”
Mr Rutte, formerly prime minister of the Netherlands, assumed the role of Nato chief at the start of this month, taking the reins from Norwegian politician Jens Stoltenberg, who had held the position since 2014.
Andy Gregory17 October 2024 09:09
Lithuanian president warns now is ‘worst moment’ to open peace negotiations with Russia
Lithuanian president Gitanas Nauseda has warned that now is the “worst moment” to start negotiations between Ukraine and Russia because Moscow currently feels it has the upper hand.
“Right now he thinks he is prevailing and pushing Ukraine into the corner. This is the worst moment to start negotiations because he feels Russia is the stronger side,” Mr Nauseda told reporters.
The Baltic nation has been a staunch ally of Ukraine since the 2022 invasion by Russia, fearing it could be a future target.
Andy Gregory17 October 2024 08:50
Estonia hopes to see action from Nato on Ukraine’s membership, minister says
Estonia hopes to see action and next steps toward Ukraine’s Nato membership, its defence minister Hanno Pevkur has said.
“Estonia has always said that the only real security guarantee for Ukraine is Nato membership,” Mr Pevkur tol reporters ahead of a meeting with counterparts from Nato countries in Brussels.
Andy Gregory17 October 2024 08:37
Zelensky and Biden discuss long-range weapons
Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed long-range weapons, the delivery of aid packages and the implementation of his “victory plan” during a phone call with US president Joe Biden.
“We talked about long-range weapons, about the Ramstein meeting in a few weeks. We also talked about how our teams will work on the points of the victory plan,” Mr Zelensky said.
Arpan Rai17 October 2024 08:02
Russia launches 56 drones at Ukraine overnight
The Ukrainian military said it shot down 22 out of 56 Russian drones during an overnight attack.
The air force said it lost track of 27 drones that likely fell into Ukrainian territory following active…
Read More: Russia–Ukraine war latest: Zelensky’s ‘victory plan’ includes joining Nato as