Zelensky's wishlist: Western skepticism on Ukraine peace plan

In Zelensky's "victory plan"—according to the sources—"they don’t see it ushering in a breakthrough to the conflict with Russia." Another source called the plan a "wish list."

Earlier, some details of the plan had already appeared in the media. As reported by "The Times," it includes security guarantees for Ukraine from Western countries, "similar to the mutual defense pact upon joining NATO," international financial aid for economic revival, deliveries of modern weapons from the West, and the continuation of Kyiv's operations in Russia's Kursk region.

Bloomberg reports that "a senior US official said they expected Zelenskiy's plan to be quite maximalist and conceptual rather than detailed."

In an interview with NBC News, Zelensky himself said there would be five points, one of which would be implemented after the war. On Friday, he told reporters that the plan's goal is to strengthen Ukraine's position in future diplomatic negotiations with Russia. In Kyiv, there are fears that without security guarantees, any peace agreement will only give Putin time to rearm and strengthen the army.

According to two officials who spoke with Bloomberg, "at least one of the allies has suggested it’s time for a new round of outreach to President Vladimir Putin, either by Zelenskiy or other countries." There is a discussion about the possibility of directly approaching Putin on the eve of the G20 summit scheduled for November in Brazil.

"Western nations are also beginning to fret about their own safety as Russia presses ahead with weapons production that could have an impact beyond Ukraine," notes Bloomberg.

In next year's budget, the government included expenditures for "national defense," which, in addition to maintaining the army, includes financing state defense orders amounting to 13.2 trillion rubles (approximately 143 billion USD). This is 22 percent more than in 2024.