Biden ‘dubious’ about Zelensky plan – Politico

The White House is reportedly worried about Kiev’s long-term battlefield prospects

US President Joe Biden and his aides have privately questioned Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s so-called ‘victory plan’, and fear that his decision to launch an offensive into Russia’s Kursk Region has affected the “long-term trajectory of the conflict,” Politico reported on Friday.

Zelensky arrived in the US on Sunday to present his plan to Biden and other American officials. While the document has not been made public, it reportedly consists of four points – the continuation of Kiev’s Kursk incursion, NATO-style security guarantees from the West for Ukraine, the delivery of more advanced weapons, and international financial assistance for the country, according to The Times.

However, Biden and his aides “are somewhat dubious” about the plan, Politico reported, citing two people familiar with White House conversations.

“They privately question his decision to launch an offensive into Russia, which has drawn troops away from the front lines in Donetsk, and worry about the long-term trajectory of the conflict,” the report continued. It noted that neither Biden nor British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has given in to Zelensky’s most pressing request: permission to use Western weapons to conduct long-range strikes on Russian territory.

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This assessment is shared by other Western leaders, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. The ‘victory plan’ does not include any “real surprises” and is not a game-changer, one of Bloomberg’s sources noted, while another described the initiative as nothing more than a “wish list.” 

According to another source, at least one of Ukraine’s foreign backers has suggested that it is “time for a new round of outreach” to Russian President Vladimir Putin, either by Zelensky or one of his Western patrons.

Zelensky, however, has rejected the idea of negotiating with Moscow. In a UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday, he declared that the conflict “can’t be calmed by talks” and that “Russia can only be forced into peace.” The Ukrainian leader, whose mandate as president expired earlier this year, then called on countries to “prepare a second peace summit” to end the conflict, but suggested that Russia would not be invited to participate.

“It is impossible to force Russia into peace,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Wednesday. Zelensky’s position represents “a profound delusion that will inevitably have consequences for the Kiev regime,” he warned.

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

Following a meeting with Zelensky at the White House on Thursday, Biden announced more than $8 billion in military aid to Ukraine, releasing the remaining funding authorized by Congress. Biden said that this tranche of arms and funding for weapons purchases would “help Ukraine win this war,” although the Pentagon has considered Kiev’s aims – which include the restoration of Ukraine’s 1991 borders – essentially unachievable since early last year.