Zelenskyy Says Ukraine “Victory Plan” Includes Deep Strikes Into Russia With Western Missiles

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv on Sept. 20 that the “victory plan” he intends to present to the United States and other allies in the coming days involves “quick decisions” from Ukraine’s partners—and getting permission to use Western-supplied missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia.

Zelenskyy made the remarks at a press conference in Kyiv on Friday during a visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and additionally in a briefing to the Observer, per The Guardian.

As The Epoch Times’ Tom Ozimek reports, the Ukrainian president said at the presser alongside von der Leyen that he plans to meet with President Joe Biden in Washington on Sept. 26 and lay out his “victory plan,” details of which remain scant.

“All the details [of the plan] I will discuss first of all with the president of the United States,“ Zelenskyy said.

”Most of the decisions from the plan depend specifically on him. On other allies too, but there are certain points which depend on the goodwill and support of the United States. I hope he supports this plan.”

Zelenskyy added that success of the plan is “predicated upon quick decisions from our partners,” adding that key decisions on which the plan rests should be taken between October and December.

“We really want to see this, and we would then consider that the plan has worked,” he said.

In a separate briefing with the Observer in Kyiv on Friday, Zelenskyy said that the plan involved carrying out deep strikes inside Russia with the use of Western-supplied missiles, which the United States and the United Kingdom have so far refused to allow.

By allowing the use of U.S.-supplied missiles to carry out long-range strikes inside Russia, Biden would “earn a place in history,” Zelenskyy said.

“Biden can strengthen Ukraine and make important decisions for Ukraine to become stronger and to protect its independence while he is U.S. president,” he said.

“I think it is a historical mission.”

In a statement on social media on Friday, the Ukrainian president said that he and his team are preparing for negotiations in the United States, where he intends to also meet with former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

“We are ready to present a concrete plan—not just for Ukraine to endure, not just to maintain our resistance at the current level, but to strengthen ourselves right now. To strengthen in such a way that brings a just peace closer, that brings victory closer,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian president said on Sept. 16 that the plan was nearly complete and that it rests on four pillars: military, political, diplomatic, and economic.

Zelenskyy elaborated somewhat on the four parts of the plan in an interview with CNN several days ago.

“It’s about security. It’s about geopolitical place for Ukraine. It’s about very strong military support available to us, and that we have to be free in how to use one or another item. It’s about economical support, decisions, which I think will be interesting,” he said.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Russia has warned that allowing strikes deep inside its territory with the use of Western-supplied missiles would amount to a declaration of war.

Several days ago, Vyacheslav Volodin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, warned Western governments that a nuclear war would break out if they gave Ukraine permission to use long-range Western weapons to strike targets inside Russia.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Friday that the West should stop supplying weapons to Ukraine and sponsoring “terrorist activity” if it wanted to send a signal that it is serious about putting an end to the war.

“As soon as they stop supplying arms to the Kyiv regime and sponsoring the terrorist activities of Bankova, then it can be perceived as a signal for political and diplomatic settlement,” she said.

“Everything else is either strengthening of anti-Russian ties with the West, or an attempt to attract other members of the international community to their reckless schemes, or elements of the current White House’s electoral program, so to speak, or manoeuvring,” she said. “In fact, this has nothing to do with peace.”

Michael Carpenter, senior director for Europe at the National Security Council, told Voice of America (VOA) on Friday that discussions between Zelenskyy’s team and members of the Biden administration could include Ukraine’s need for long-range capabilities, with “very active discussions” on this topic already underway.

“We will be having the broad conversation on all the range of capabilities that we think are most important for Ukraine right now, to put it in a position of strength,” he said.

Biden considers Ukraine’s sovereignty and success a key part of his legacy, Carpenter said.