Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Victory Plan: 5 steps to strengthen Ukraine and the Euro-Atlantic community

“If we begin following this idea, this concrete Victory Plan right now, it may be possible to end the war no later than next year,” – states President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

What are the key points of the plan, what support from the allies does it call for, and what countries are ready to contribute – all you need to know about the Victory Plan in our explainer.

What is Ukraine’s Victory Plan, and when was it introduced?

The idea behind Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plan can be described as “peace through strength.” So far, Russia has not shown any intentions to stop its war against Ukraine: with daily deadly attacks, over 150 thousand war crimes, and now North Korean soldiers attacking Ukrainian troops, it is gaining pace from impunity. Russia will not stop unless it is forced to.

The Victory Plan was created to propose a solution to that. It consists of five points – geopolitical, two military, economic, and security-related – and three secret annexes. All are needed to strengthen Ukraine and make Ukraine’s positions strong enough to end the war and restore justice.

The plan was presented publicly to the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s parliament) on October 16, 2024, and to the members of the European Council the following day. However, it was prior introduced and discussed with key partners.

What are the points of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Victory Plan?

1. Ukraine’s Invitation to NATO now

Ukraine has proven capable of defending the Euro-Atlantic region and the shared values of democratic nations. An invitation to the Alliance now will mean certainty about how the partner states see Ukraine’s place in the security architecture.

“For us, determination on the NATO issue for Ukraine also means the inevitability of European integration for Ukraine and the fact that there is no alternative to democracy in Ukraine,” – Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized. 

Ukraine’s membership in NATO will follow later – but now, the invitation would be a strong position and a sign of determination, proof of Russia’s inability to change the course for other states.

2. Strengthening of Ukraine’s defense

Ukraine continues to defend its position while also bringing the war back to Russia’s territory – and Ukraine’s military has a clear list of weapons that can support those efforts. This point involves:

• successful continuation of the operations of the Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine in the defined areas of the enemy’s territory to prevent buffer zones;
• irreversible strengthening of the positions of the Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine and destruction of the Russian Federation’s offensive potential in the occupied territory of Ukraine;
• assistance from partners in manning our reserve brigades for the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
• bringing Ukraine’s air defence system to a level sufficient to protect Ukrainian cities and villages from Russian missiles and enemy drones, and joint defense operations with Ukrainian neighbors in Europe to shoot down Russian missiles and drones within the range of the partners’ air shields;
• expanding operations involving Ukrainian missiles and drones and investing in increasing their production in Ukraine;
• lifting partner’s restrictions on the use of long-range weapons on military targets in all the territory of Ukraine occupied by Russia and on the territory of Russia;
• providing Ukraine with real-time satellite data and data obtained through other intelligence means.

The defense point of the Plan has a secret annex, and it is accessible only to those partners who have the appropriate military assistance capabilities.

3. Deterrence

“When Russia knows that the response will come, and understands what kind of response it will be, they choose negotiations and stable coexistence even with strategic adversaries,” – Volodymyr Zelenskyy pointed out.

Ukraine offers to deploy a comprehensive non-nuclear strategic deterrence package on its territory that will be sufficient to protect Ukraine from any military threat posed by Russia. It should make deterring Russia from aggression possible both in relation to Ukraine and to Europe as a whole.

This point has a corresponding secret annex, shared with the US, the UK, France, Italy, and Germany.

4. Strategic economic potential.

Ukraine is rich in natural resources, including metals (uranium, titanium, lithium, graphite, etc.). The deposits of critical resources in Ukraine, along with Ukraine’s globally important energy and food production potential, are among the key predatory objectives of Russia in its war.

Therefore, Ukraine proposes to key partners – the EU, the United States, and our mutual global partners – to make a special agreement on protecting Ukraine’s critical resources, joint investment, and directing the relevant economic potential for our shared growth.

The economic point also has a secret annex, shared only with certain partners.

5. Strengthening the Alliance after the war

The fifth point of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Victory Plan is designed for the post-war period. Ukraine will have hundreds of thousands of warriors with real experience of modern warfare and successful experience of using Western weapons. It is a power that can strengthen NATO’s defense and ensure security in Europe.

And what about the Peace Formula?

The 10-point peace plan, presented in 2022, is the main goal for Ukraine. The plan outlines the aspects of a truly just and long-lasting peace, and Ukrainians are working towards this goal both on the battlefield and on various international platforms.

The Victory Plan has in no way replaced it: it is rather an action plan, a way to achieve the points the Peace Formula describes, a tool to enforce it. It is also a bridge to the second Peace Summit, which should put a fair end to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Learn more: What is President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s 10-point peace plan?

What countries have already supported the Victory Plan?

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukrainian delegations have been actively securing partners’ support for the plan. Positive public signals were voiced by a number of key partners of Ukraine.

The support for the Victory Plan has also been stated following important international events. In particular, at the fourth Ukraine – Nordic Summit (October 28, 2024) the Prime Ministers of Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden and the President of Ukraine issued a joint statement confirming their support for the Victory Plan and intentions to contribute to its implementation.