Zelensky Victory Plan: Can Ukraine Turn the Tide Amidst 501 Fallen Heroes?

Zelensky Victory Plan

Russia returns 501 dead soldiers; Western allies consider Zelensky’s victory plan

Ukrainian authorities announced the repatriation of the remains of 501 soldiers from Russia, the largest return of war dead since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, with most casualties occurring near Avdiivka in the Donetsk region. This event coincided with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s presentation of the “Zelensky Victory Plan” to EU leaders and NATO defense ministers, which calls for Ukraine’s NATO membership and a non-nuclear deterrent against Russian aggression, though formal membership remains unconfirmed due to the ongoing conflict.

The NATO-Ukraine Council discussed military assistance, with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reaffirming support for Zelensky’s efforts, while the White House reviews Zelensky’s peace proposal, which lacks consensus among EU leaders. Additionally, the Ukrainian military reported significant Russian troop casualties, with 1,530 losses in a single day.

Key Concepts

• Ukrainian authorities repatriated the remains of 501 soldiers from Russia, marking the largest return of war dead since February 2022.
• Most of the fallen soldiers were killed in intense combat near Avdiivka in the Donetsk region.
• Ukrainian law enforcement and forensic experts will identify the remains before returning them to families for burial.
• President Zelensky presented his “Victory Plan” to EU leaders and NATO defense ministers, receiving conditional support.
• The “Victory Plan” includes an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO and a non-nuclear deterrent against Russian aggression.
• NATO allies have not issued a formal invitation for Ukraine’s membership due to the ongoing conflict.
• The NATO-Ukraine Council convened to discuss substantial military assistance for Ukraine.
• U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to supporting President Zelensky’s “Operation Victory.”
• President Biden emphasized the necessity of Western allies maintaining support for Ukraine despite significant costs.
• The White House is reviewing Zelensky’s peace plan, stressing that any agreement must be accepted by the Ukrainian people.
• Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk noted a lack of consensus among EU leaders regarding the feasibility of the peace plan.
• The outcome of the upcoming U.S. presidential election may impact support for Ukraine, especially with Trump opposing current military aid levels.
• The Ukrainian military reported significant Russian troop casualties, with 1,530 losses recorded since Thursday.

Russia returned the remains of 501 soldiers to Ukraine on Friday, Ukrainian authorities said, in a move that appeared to be the largest repatriation of the war dead since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The Ukrainian headquarters for the coordination of the handling of prisoners of war said in a statement that most of the soldiers were killed in heavy fighting around the city of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, which Russian troops captured in February after a long and arduous battle.

Ukrainian authorities said law enforcement agencies and forensic experts would identify the victims and then return the bodies to their families for burial.

The repatriation came two days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy presented his “Victory Plan” to EU leaders and NATO defense ministers. Ukraine’s allies gave it conditional support, with one leader saying the plan would be reviewed after next month’s U.S. election.

Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s plan, unveiled to Ukraine’s parliament on Wednesday, starts with an unconditional invitation to join NATO and the deployment of a non-nuclear deterrent to counter Russian aggression. He insists the plan could end the war by next year at the latest.

Although NATO allies and leadership insist Ukraine’s future belongs to NATO, a formal invitation to join has not yet been issued. NATO allies say the country cannot be a member during a war and the current focus is on providing the support it needs to win the war.

The NATO-Ukraine Council met Thursday evening after Zelenskiy reported to a meeting of defense ministers. At a news conference in Brussels on Friday, new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the meeting was focused on “getting massive military assistance to Ukraine” from Western allies.

“Obviously, we all know that Ukraine will be a member of NATO, so the question is exactly when,” Rutte said. “But that was not the main topic of the debate last night.”

“Operation Victory is President Zelensky’s plan, and we will do everything we can and provide security assistance to support the president in achieving his objectives,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said when asked about Zelensky’s plan at a briefing in Brussels on Friday.

Austin added: “I’m not authorized to comment publicly on his plans. We have been supporting him for two and a half years by providing massive security assistance. We will continue to do so.”

Support for Ukraine was at the center of U.S. President Joe Biden’s talks with the leaders of Britain, Germany, and France in Berlin on Friday, with Biden calling on Ukraine’s Western allies to “remain in our resolve to support Ukraine.”

Biden said the “cost” of supporting Ukraine was “heavy,” but that cost was “nothing compared to living in a world of aggression, where big nations prey on the weak and attack and bully smaller nations at will.”

On the sidelines of the meeting, John Kirby, a U.S. national security spokesman, told reporters that the White House was still reviewing Zelenskiy’s plan.

He said the United States supports “President Zelensky’s plan for a just peace. The key is that whatever that peace looks like, it has to be accepted by him and the Ukrainian people.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters after EU talks in Brussels that there was “no consensus” among EU leaders on the plan, Ukrainian media reported. He said it was difficult to judge the plan’s reality given that “a lot depends on the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.”

Tusk added that the plan would be reassessed after next month’s U.S. election. Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, has said he does not support continued military aid to Ukraine, at least not on the scale it is currently providing.

Also on Friday, the Ukrainian military said Russian troops suffered their second death worst day since the war began on Thursday.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff reported on its Facebook social media account that Russian troops had suffered 1,530 casualties since Thursday.