War in Ukraine: new American aid granted, Zelensky's “victory plan”, Moscow's response… an update on the situation

| October 16, 2024 | Health | No Comments

Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Wednesday, October 16, 2024, discover the latest news about this conflict.

Biden announces $425 million in military aid to Ukraine to Zelensky

US President Joe Biden announced to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky during a call on Wednesday that Washington will provide Kiev with $425 million in new military aid, which includes “additional air defense capabilities”.

“To meet Ukraine's urgent needs” in its war against Russia, the United States will provide Ukraine in the coming months “hundreds of air defense interceptors, dozens of tactical air defense systems, additional artillery systems, large quantities of ammunition, hundreds of armored personnel carriers, and infantry fighting vehicles, and thousands of additional armored vehicles,”, the White House said in a statement.

Zelensky says his “victory plan” is based on Ukraine's invitation to NATO

The five-point “victory plan” developed by Ukraine provides for kyiv to receive an unconditional invitation to join NATO, as well as the deployment on its territory of a non-nuclear strategic deterrent, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday.

Speaking to the Ukrainian parliament, Volodymyr Zelensky assured that if implemented now by Ukraine's allies, this plan could lead to the end of the war against Russia as early as next year. “Together with our partners, we must change the situation so that the war ends. Regardless of (Vladimir) Putin's wishes. “We must all together change the game so that Russia is forced to peace,” he said, as the Ukrainian army is under assault from Russian forces in Donbass and braces itself for power shortages this winter.

The “victory plan”, which Volodymyr Zelensky presented in recent weeks to the leaders of Ukraine's allies, as well as to Donald Trump, former US president and Republican candidate in the November 5 presidential election in the United States, includes five points and three additional points “secret”, the Ukrainian leader said.

In addition to the invitation to join NATO and the deployment of a force capable of deterring Russia from launching a new war of aggression, Volodymyr Zelensky added, the plan envisages in the medium term the replacement of some American troops deployed in Europe by Ukrainian soldiers, as well as an agreement between kyiv and its allies on a common defense policy and the use of Ukrainian mineral resources.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who took office earlier this month, said on Wednesday that the plan presented by the Ukrainian president was a “strong signal” but that he could not, as it stood, support all of the points in the plan. “There are many issues that we need to understand better,”, he said.

In Moscow, the Kremlin declined to comment immediately, but said Ukraine should wake up to the “futility” of its resistance and accept the conditions set by Russia to end the war.

Moscow accuses Zelensky of "pushing" NATO into "direct conflict" with Russia

Moscow on Wednesday accused Volodymyr Zelensky of “pushing” NATO into “direct conflict” with Russia, after the Ukrainian president presented his “victory plan” aimed at obtaining a military deployment in Ukraine and an invitation to join the Atlantic Alliance.

Volodymyr Zelensky “is pushing NATO countries into direct conflict with our country”, denounced the spokeswoman for Russian diplomacy, Maria Zakharova. “This is certainly not a plan, it is a set of incoherent slogans, it is bloody drool from the lips of a neo-Nazi murderer”, she asserted during her press conference weekly.

First summit between the EU and the Gulf countries against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine

The European Union (EU) is holding its first summit with the Gulf states on Wednesday, as part of its diplomatic campaign to secure the broadest possible international support for its policy of isolating Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Brussels has in recent years stepped up initiatives aimed at other regional blocs, such as ASEAN in Southeast Asia and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). The summit with the six monarchies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a way for the Twenty-Seven to recognise the influence of these countries, particularly on the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

The EU also aims to develop its relations in terms of trade, investment and renewable energy with the six members of the GCC (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar) while the talks for a free trade agreement, started 35 years ago, have been suspended since 2008.

While hoping for a rapprochement with the Gulf countries on the conflict in Ukraine, the Europeans do not have no illusions that the latter can align with their hard line against Russia. They have more hopes on the issue of de-escalation in the Middle East.

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