Some elements of Ukraine’s Victory Plan should be launched now - Polish expert
Former Minister of National Defense of Poland Janusz Onyszkiewicz told about this in a comment to an Ukrinform correspondent.
"In general, these points are very important, as they show how valuable a partner Ukraine can be. But most of them will be able to be implemented only after the active phase of hostilities at the front ends," the expert emphasized.
However, in his opinion, it is already necessary to implement the elements of the plan that relate to Ukraine’s defense effort: "increasing military aid for Ukraine and freeing Ukraine from the restrictions currently imposed regarding the use of Western weapons for strikes inside Russia."
"This case is fully subject to review and approval," Onyszkiewicz stated.
However, he did not rule out that the resolution of the issue will be delayed in the West, primarily in the U.S., because there is an assumption that as long as such a ban is in effect for Ukraine, Russia will not dare employ tactical nuclear weapons.
"But I believe that, in principle, this kind of restriction should be removed, especially since Ukraine is developing its own tools for airstrikes. I hope that this will lead to the fact that Ukraine will have at its disposal a large number of effective means, and use them effectively, to show Russia that no part of Russian territory is safe and that the ongoing war is not taking place somewhere on the outskirts of Russia as the whole country suffers from it," emphasized the ex-Minister of National Defense.
As the expert noted, the main point of the plan is about Ukraine obtaining an invitation to NATO. He noted that Ukraine, in a political sense, is already confident it will become a member of the Alliance in the future. On the other hand, it is now difficult to expect a specific date for joining NATO, since active hostilities are currently ongoing in Ukraine. He emphasized that in this situation, Ukraine's membership would imply that the war became the issue to be dealt with by the entire Alliance, and it is difficult to hope that the Allies would agree to this today.
Onyszkiewicz also noted that the replacement of part of the American troops in Europe with Ukrainian forces, which is one of the points of the Victory Plan, could be an "important element" for NATO after the end of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
"It is clear that, once the war ends and Ukraine ultimately joins NATO, it will not be some marginal member, but one of the absolutely fundamental ones, given its combat experience and battle-hardened army. In case of contingencies, this can be give the Alliance an incredible edge," the Polish expert emphasized.
At the same time, in the context of joint investment and use of Ukraine's natural resources, Onyszkiewicz noted that this point "can be implemented now, despite the complexity of the current situation." At the same time, he added, if the private sector in the West were to make strategic investments in Ukraine, it should obtain firm guarantees from the governments, but it is quite difficult to count on this today.
The ex-Minister of National Defense of Poland also agrees with the notion that the presidential election in the USA can make "fundamental" changes to the plan: depending on the results, it may clarify, or, on the contrary, complicate its implementation.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, President Zelensky presented the Victory Plan at the European Union Summit in Brussels on October 17.
The head of the Polish government, Donald Tusk, said that there is no consensus among EU leaders regarding the assessment of the Victory Plan presented in Brussels by President Volodymyr Zelensky. The plan will be reevaluated after the U.S. presidential election, he suggested.
