WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine's Zelenskiy presents 'victory plan' to Trump at New York meeting

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy presented his war "victory plan" to Donald Trump during a closed-door meeting on Friday, after the Republican presidential candidate said he would work with both Ukraine and Russia to end their conflict.

The meeting between the two men at Trump Tower in Manhattan was their first in-person encounter since 2019. Zelenskiy said he was talking with both Trump and his Democratic rival in the Nov. 5 election, Vice President Kamala Harris, because Ukraine needed strong U.S. support in its continuing war with Russia.

Trump praised Zelenskiy, but said he also had a solid relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"We have a very good relationship (with Zelenskiy), and I also have a very good relationship, as you know, with President Putin," Trump told reporters. "And I think if we win, I think we're going to get it resolved very quickly," he added.

Zelenskiy has used his U.S. visit to promote his "victory plan," which a U.S. official described as a repackaged request for more weapons and a lifting of restrictions on the use of long-range missiles. The plan presupposes the ultimate defeat of Russia in the war, the official said. Some officials see the aim as unrealistic.

When asked on Thursday by a reporter if Ukraine should hand over some of the Ukrainian land Russia has captured to end the war - a non-starter for Kyiv - Trump replied: "We'll see what happens."

At one point during a pre-meeting press conference on Friday, when Zelenskiy suggested he had a better relationship with Trump than Putin did, Trump responded: "Yeah, but you know it takes two to tango."

Still, Trump said on Friday he was pleased to meet with Zelenskiy, a marked change in tone from some of his previous comments on the campaign trail. After the meeting, Zelenskiy called his talks with Trump "very productive."

On Monday, Trump said Zelenskiy wanted Harris to win the election. He has also called Zelenskiy "the greatest salesman of all time" because his country has received billions of dollars in military aid from the United States and Europe.

"It's an honor to have the president with us, and he's been through a lot," Trump said on Friday. "He's been through a tremendous amount, like probably nobody else, almost nobody else in history, if you really get right down to it, and we're going to have a discussion and see what we could come up with."

TRUMP, HARRIS DIFFER ON UKRAINE

Trump on Friday said that if he won the Nov. 5 election he would immediately begin working toward a resolution of the Ukraine conflict, even though he would formally take office only in late January 2025.

Zelenskiy, who was in the United States for the U.N. General Assembly, met on Thursday with Democratic President JoeBiden and Harris.

Over the weekend, Zelenskiy traveled to a munitions factory in Pennsylvania with that state's Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, a Harris ally. The visit upset Trump's campaign and enraged some congressional Republicans who viewed the trip as a campaign stop, particularly as Pennsylvania is an important battleground state expected to decide the U.S. election.

As late as Thursday, people close to Trump and his campaign had said a meeting appeared extremely unlikely, though the former president apparently changed his mind during Zelenskiy's stay in the country.

Trump and Harris' differences on Ukraine echo splits in their respective Democratic and Republican parties, and their view of the U.S. role in the world.

Along with Trump, some Republicans in Congress have questioned the value of U.S. funding and additional weapons for Ukraine's two-year battle against Russia's invasion, calling it futile, while Democrats led by Biden have pushed to punish Russia and bolster Ukraine, framing Ukraine's victory as a vital national security interest.

The war in Ukraine and foreign policy in general lag behind domestic issues like the economy, healthcare and immigration in terms of what most voters think are important.

But a strong majority, 64%, of registered voters say they support Ukraine's use of U.S.-supplied arms to strike within Russia, according to an August Reuters/Ipsos poll, including 78% of Democrats and 56% of Republicans.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukrainian army plagued by desertion and draft-dodging – The Economist

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky's so-called ‘victory plan’ is being undermined by the reality that his nation does not have enough manpower or resources to prevail over Russia, The Economist reported on Thursday.

Zelensky is currently visiting the US to promote his proposal, which reportedly boils down to the West increasing its backing in terms of cash and weapons so Kiev can continue fighting.

The British magazine described the dire situation affecting the Ukrainian economy and dwindling military manpower. Unlike Moscow, which is fielding volunteers, Kiev relies on forced conscription, it noted.

”Officers complain that many of those drafted into service are ill-suited to fighting: too old, too ill, too drunk. There is no clear path out of the army once in it, which makes being mobilized seem like a one-way ticket to the morgue,” The Economist said.

”Some 5-10% of soldiers on active duty are absent without leave,” it added, noting that “fewer than 30% of Ukrainians consider draft-dodging shameful.”

There is a generational gap, with younger men eligible for military service being far less inclined to support Zelensky’s uncompromising stance, compared to those too old to be recruited, the report added.

In a separate editorial article on Thursday, the magazine accused Zelensky of “defying reality” with his military strategy, warning that he would “drive away Ukraine’s backers and further divide Ukrainian society” if he keeps pursuing it.

Ukraine needs to redefine victory over Russia as “becoming a prosperous, Western-leaning democracy,” after making concessions for the sake of peace. In return for “embracing this grim truth, Western leaders need to make his overriding war aim credible by ensuring that Ukraine has the military capacity and security guarantees it needs,” it suggested.

Moscow has stated that NATO’s intention to draw Ukraine into its ranks was one of the key triggers for the hostilities. Its vision for a stable peace includes a cap on Ukraine’s military strength and its non-alignment. Kiev agreed to those terms during peace talks in the early phase of the conflict, but then reportedly made a U-turn at the West’s suggestion.

Reuters/RT