Zelenskyy is aware that the incoming Trump administration is likely to take a more pragmatic approach to Ukraine. That’s why the purported “Victory Plan” that he outlined publicly last month aims to prove to the U.S. and other partners that aid to Ukraine is not charity but a two-way street, said Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi at a briefing Thursday.
While the first three points of the so-called Victory Plan feature a NATO invitation for Ukraine, more weapons and an end to restrictions on their use in Russia, the two last points concern what Ukraine offers in return: the use of its natural resources and its battle-hardened troops to secure Europe after the war.
“The Ukrainian president maintains intense contacts with Trump and his team. [The] presidents had a good meeting in New York [Sept. 27], where it was important to lay out Ukraine’s vision,” Tykhyi said.
“We think that ensuring a fair and just peace for Ukraine is in America’s best interests. This war is so much larger than just Ukraine. Supporting Ukraine is not charity, it is a very profitable investment in security for our partners,” he added.
Tykhyi conceded it had been suggested that if the West cuts aid to Ukraine, it would force Kyiv to seek peace at any cost. In reality, he said, cutting aid would only expand the war and increase Russian atrocities, forcing Ukraine’s allies subsequently to resume aid anyway.
“We have been very rational since the very beginning. Ukraine and President Zelenskyy aim at achieving results and deals, really anticipating cooperation with the Trump administration when they [take] office,” he said.
Any such deals, however, will not include swapping land for peace, Tykhyi said, because that would only increase Putin’s appetite.
“Many of our partners need to be reminded what preceded Russia’s full-scale aggression — an ultimatum for NATO to roll back to its 1997 borders. Many times in the past, we have seen partners ignoring Ukraine’s warnings. In the end we have been proven right,” he added.
