Ukraine's Zelenskyy presents 'victory plan' to US politicians

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented the US presidential candidates with his long touted “victory plan’ in New York on Friday, in a meeting that both parties agreed was built on a foundation of goodwill.

In a post on X, Zelenskyy said that, “everything crucial for Ukraine is on the table with our partners and under consideration—long-range capabilities, defence packages, sanctions against Russia, and measures regarding Russian assets.”

He added that he was now preparing for a meeting in Germany where Ukraine would aim to move forward with its proposals for peace.

Zelenskyy met with presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris on Thursday with Harris pledging her support for the Ukrainian leader.

During his meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy said, “I think we have a common view that the war in Ukraine has to be stopped and Putin can’t win.”

The former US president, on his part, spoke on what he called “a very good relationship” — however also commented that he had a similarly good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Friday’s meeting comes amid a rise in public tensions in the US over support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion and the run-up to its own elections on 5 November.

The two main candidates, Harris and Trump, have taken sharply different positions on backing Ukraine in the third year of its war with Russia.

Trump has long claimed that he would bring the conflict, which began in 2022, to an end although has declined to go into detail about how. In recent days he praised Russia’s historic victories and insisted the US needs “to get out” of the region.

Earlier this week, Zelenskyy was quoted in an interview with the New Yorker as saying Trump does not understand and oversimplifies the conflict.

Democratic Candidate Harris has rebuffed Trump’s suggestions, calling them “proposals for surrender.”

EU bumps up support for Ukraine

Meanwhile, as the Ukraine war enters a critical period, the European Union has stepped up its financial contributions to the war-torn country and has been working towards a proposal to provide Ukraine with a loan worth up to 35 billions euros.

“Crucially, this loan will flow straight into your national budget,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a visit to Kyiv last week.

“It will provide you with significant and much-needed fiscal space. You will decide how best to use the funds, giving you maximum flexibility to meet your needs.”

However, almost 1,000 days since their full-scale invasion, Russian forces are advancing in the east.

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Ukraine’s army has a shaky hold on part of the Kursk region in Russia, which they invaded in a surprise move which provided a temporary morale boost to an army which is otherwise outgunned.