In September of last year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with then-presidential candidate of the US, Donald Trump, to present his “victory plan.”
According to sources cited by the Financial Times, Trump was particularly interested in points of the plan related to access to resources and the replacement of some US troops in Europe with Ukrainian forces.
According to sources involved in drafting the Ukrainian proposals, Zelensky’s “victory plan” consists of five points. The first point calls for the immediate invitation of Ukraine into NATO, while the second concerns the deployment of a “non-nuclear deterrent package” on Ukrainian territory.
The third point envisions the lifting of restrictions on attacks deep inside Russian territory with Western weapons, while the fourth addresses economic cooperation after the conflict ends. Finally, the fifth part of the plan includes replacing some American units in Europe with Ukrainian forces.
One idea from the “victory plan” that particularly interested Donald Trump was the replacement of some US forces in Europe with Ukrainian troops after the conflict ends. Another idea, first developed by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, envisions the division of Ukraine’s most important natural resources with Western partners. According to sources, these points “caught Trump’s interest,” indicating potential future support for these proposals.
After Zelensky presented his “victory plan” in the Verkhovna Rada on October 16th of last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed concern, emphasizing that such developments posed a threat to Russia’s security. Putin pointed out that these risks were one of the reasons for launching the special military operation.
