LONDON: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said he laid out his plan to defeat Russian forces as he met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO chief Mark Rutte at the start of a whistlestop European tour to secure military aid. Zelensky is seeking a military and financial boost during a 48-hour trip to London, Paris, Rome and Berlin, amid fears of dwindling support if Donald Trump become US president next month. Ukraine is facing its toughest winter since the full-scale invasion started in February 2022, as Russia launches strikes on the country’s power grid and advances across the eastern frontline.

After his Downing Street meeting, Zelensky said he “outlined the details of our victory plan... (which) aims to create the right conditions for a just end to the war”. “We have agreed to work on it together with our allies,” he added. Zelensky has now made two visits to London since Labor leader Starmer became prime minister in July. Starmer said it was important to demonstrate “our continued commitment” to Ukraine. The meeting, he said, was a chance to “go through the plan, to talk in more detail”. A planned meeting of Ukraine’s allies in Germany on Saturday was postponed after US President Joe Biden called off his visit to focus on the threat from Hurricane Milton.

Missiles

Zelensky maintains that Ukraine desperately needs more aid to fight back after Russia captured dozens of small towns and villages in the disputed east. He is also pushing for clearance to use long-range weapons supplied by allies, including British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles, to strike military targets deep inside Russia. Washington and London have stalled on giving approval over fears it could draw NATO allies into direct conflict with Russia.

Zelensky said he raised the subject in the meeting. Rutte told reporters “legally, that is possible because legally, Ukraine is allowed to use its weapons, if they can hit targets in Russia, if these targets present a threat to Ukraine”. But he added: “Whether individual allies do, that’s in the end, (is) always up to individual allies.” Rutte and Britain cautioned against placing too much focus on long-range missiles. “No war has ever been won by a single weapon,” Starmer’s spokesman said, adding that talks were instead about “the range of support” for Ukraine as winter approaches.

Funding

On the ground, questions are growing about the long-term strategy of an offensive into Russia’s Kursk region, given the push in the east of Ukraine. On Thursday, the Kremlin said its missiles had struck two launchers of a US-made Patriot air defense system, which Ukraine uses against Russian missiles. “If this is a short-term operation, it will strengthen us,” Bogdan, one serviceman sitting at a cafe in Druzhkivka, near Kramatorsk, told AFP. “If it’s a long-term operation and we plan to stay in Kursk, it will deplete our main resources.”

Ukraine relies on billions of dollars worth of US financial and military aid to fight Russia’s invasion, and the US presidential election in November could prove pivotal. The German-based Kiel Institute warned Thursday that Western military and financial aid to Kyiv could halve to about 29 billion euros ($31 billion) in 2025 if Republican candidate Trump wins the November 5 election. “Starting next year, Ukraine could face a significant aid deficit,” it said.

Trump has promised to end the war “in 24 hours” if he is elected—a prospect Kyiv fears means being forced to make massive compromises to achieve peace. Vice President and Democratic rival Kamala Harris has said she would not meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin for peace talks if Ukraine was not also represented. Zelensky has rejected any peace plan that involves ceding territory to Russia, arguing Moscow must first withdraw all troops from Ukrainian territory.- AFP