‘No enthusiasm’ for Zelensky’s plan – Poland

Vladimir Zelensky’s so-called ‘victory plan’ for settling the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has failed to elicit enthusiasm in the West as “there is enormous war fatigue,” Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz has said.  

Earlier this week, the Ukrainian leader made public five points of his much-hyped proposal, which also includes three annexes that remain classified. Among Zelensky’s wishes is an immediate invitation for Ukraine to join NATO, more Western military aid, support for further incursions into Russia, and permission to use Western long-range weapons against targets deep inside the neighboring country.  

Commenting on Zelensky’s plan on the sidelines of a NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels on Friday, Kosiniak-Kamysz told journalists that while “everyone would like Zelensky’s ‘victory plan’ to be implemented in their hearts,” it was marred by the difficult situation Kiev is facing on the battlefield.  

“There is no great enthusiasm either – as I hear – in the European Council or in NATO headquarters, because the situation on the front is difficult, there is enormous war fatigue,” the minister was quoted as saying by the TVP.info news outlet. 

He also argued that Zelensky’s plan is “not a clear bright light that will immediately change reality,” and that it “certainly does not solve the issues” facing Ukraine.  

Previously, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also stated there is “no agreement” among EU leaders regarding Zelensky’s plan, which the Ukrainian leader presented in Brussels on Thursday. Tusk suggested it is difficult to evaluate how realistic the plan is, and that it will likely be re-assessed only after the US presidential election in November.  

Kiev’s request to receive an urgent invitation to NATO has also failed to find support in the West, with the US-led military bloc’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, suggesting that Ukraine is not guaranteed to become the organization’s next member. Washington’s envoy to NATO, Julianne Smith, has also stressed that accession to the bloc is not a “short-term” matter.  

Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has described Zelensky’s plan as “terrifying,” and criticized the EU for continuing to supply Kiev with weapons and funds with a “poorly calculated strategy.” 

“We need to switch from a war strategy to a peace strategy. We need a ceasefire and peace talks,” Orban insisted.  

Moscow has vehemently dismissed Zelensky’s ‘victory plan’, with Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova calling it nothing more than a “set of incoherent slogans” and a “plan for the misfortune of Ukraine.”