Zelenskyy pitches ‘victory plan’ to EU, NATO allies

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday the keys to ending Russia’s war in Ukraine in a way that prevents it from happening again are European unity, putting pressure on Russia and strengthening Ukraine.
“Russia will resort to diplomacy only when it sees that it cannot achieve anything by force. We must create the right conditions to end this war,” Zelenskyy said as he visited Brussels to address European Union leaders and meet with NATO defense ministers.
The meetings are Zelenskyy’s latest opportunity to present his “victory plan” to Western allies.
In a speech to Ukraine’s parliament on Wednesday, Zelenskyy outlined his vision to end Russia’s 32-month invasion, including a call for an unconditional invitation to join NATO and for the deployment of a nonnuclear deterrent to Russian aggression.
NATO chief Mark Rutte said Wednesday that Ukraine’s eventual membership in NATO is “irreversible” when the time is right, but because Kyiv cannot join while at war, he declined to put a timeline on membership. Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine and restore the country’s territorial lines before Russia unilaterally annexed Crimea in 2014, a proposal Moscow has rejected.
Latest fighting
Ukraine’s military said Thursday it shot down 22 of 56 drones that Russian forces used in attacks overnight targeting areas in central and western Ukraine.
The intercepts took place over the Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Ternopil, Sumy and Zhytomyr regions, Ukraine’s air force said.
Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said on Telegram the attack damaged an apartment building.
In Mykolaiv, Governor Vitalii Kim said Russia targeted energy infrastructure.
Officials in Sumy also said the Russia attack damaged an apartment building and several emergency vehicles.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday it destroyed six Ukrainian drones over the Oryol region, four drones over Kursk and three drones over Bryansk. Officials in those regions did not report any damage or casualties.
US aid
U.S. President Joe Biden talked with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Wednesday about defense aid for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.
Biden also announced a $425 million security assistance package for Ukraine that includes additional air defense capabilities, air-to-ground munitions, armored vehicles and munitions critical to addressing its pressing military needs.
The United States is set to supply Ukraine with more equipment in the coming months, including hundreds of air defense interceptors, dozens of tactical air defense systems, additional artillery systems, hundreds of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles.
Biden is scheduled to host a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group next month to coordinate international assistance for Ukraine.
Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.