Muted response from Ukraine's partners on Victory Plan only encourages Russia to continue aggression – Austrian colonel
The response from the US and Europe to President Volodymyr Zelensky's Victory Plan has been muted, failing to make key commitments, especially on security guarantees and strikes with Western long-range weapons, which only encourages Russia to continue its attacks.
Colonel of the Austrian Armed Forces Markus Reisner, head of the Institute for Officer Training at the Theresian Military Academy, said this in an exclusive comment to an Ukrinform correspondent.
“The response from the US and Europe to President Zelensky's Victory Plan has been muted. They have offered further aid and declared their verbal support, but crucial commitments are missing. On the one hand, necessary security guarantees and, on the other, the means and permission to exert pressure on Russian forces with far-reaching weapons. Without these commitments, however, Ukraine cannot negotiate with Russia on an equal footing,” he stated.
In the opinion of the Austrian military expert, Ukraine's most important ally, the United States, “seems to be shifting its priorities.” “How else can it be explained that Israel will soon receive a second potent, state-of-the-art THAAD anti-aircraft battery, while Ukraine had to ask for a second Patriot battery from the United States a long time ago. In addition, everything in the United States is focused on the upcoming election,” he said.
According to Reisner, despite all its economic and military might, Russia “cannot be put in its place.”
“This behavior of the US and Europe is encouraging Russia in its attacks. They (Russians – ed.) see themselves on the Seelow Heights with a view of Berlin (the last major battle of the Second World War outside Berlin in April 1945 - ed.). They are forging further links within the framework of the BRICS initiative. Russia feels secure thanks to the support of China, India, Iran, North Korea and Turkey. This can cushion the crunching Russian war economy,” the expert said.
He stressed that the coming winter will therefore be particularly hard for Ukraine because Russia will continue its unbridled attacks.
“On the strategic level, the critical infrastructure, 80% of which has already been destroyed or damaged, continues to be destroyed. At the operational level, attacks are carried out along the entire front to prevent Ukraine from forming new offensive reserves. The tactical level, on the other hand, is characterized by the ruthless and permanent deployment of Russian (soon to be North Korean?) storm troops across a broad front, artillery and rocket launcher attacks, and tens of thousands of drone attacks and gliding bomb drops,” he noted.
As reported by Ukrinform, the Victory Plan presented by President Zelensky includes five points: the first is geopolitical, the second and third are military, the fourth is economic, and the fifth is security.
The first point involves receiving an invitation to join NATO. The second concerns defense, particularly the transfer of a clear list of weapons capable of supporting the strength of Ukrainian soldiers. The third point calls for the creation of a deterrence force. The fourth refers to strategic economic cooperation and increased sanctions pressure on the aggressor. The fifth point is designed for the post-war period and provides for the possibility of replacing certain military contingents of the U.S. Armed Forces stationed in Europe or on other continents with Ukrainian units.