Ukrainian President Zelensky plans to present his victory plan on Saturday. He will do so during a meeting with allies at the US airbase Ramstein in western Germany.
According to NOS correspondent Christiaan Paauwe, the victory plan would mainly amount to deploying more and heavier weapons to counter Russia. And Zelensky especially wants the freedom to deploy Western weapons such as long-range missiles against targets deep inside Russia, such as airfields and arms depots.
Long-range missiles have been a subject of debate for some time. The ‘vredesite’ website reported that the US Institute for the Study of War has published a list of 245 Russian targets to be destroyed by ATACMS[…] ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) are long-range missiles manufactured by Lockheed Martin. The variants with the greatest range can travel up to 300 kilometres. Ukrainian military personnel are unable to locate the targets in Russia and programme the advanced missiles to attack them. US satellites locate the targets in Russia. And it is US military operators who will programme the missiles. In this way, NATO will become involved in direct war with Russia. Furthermore, I am also against this weapon because it contains cluster munitions, which are banned by treaty. Cluster munitions are small bombs that can cause extensive casualties among civilian populations.
Russian President Putin is already declaring the possible delivery of long-range missiles to Ukraine a red line and is now threatening (again) to deploy nuclear weapons, according to VRT news. Zelensky’s victory plan therefore seems very risky to me. The war in Ukraine is continues to escalate . Earlier this year, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists’ doomsday clock was reset to 90 seconds before midnight, with midnight signifying the end of humanity. The clock is closer to midnight than ever before, largely due to the war in Ukraine and the likelihood of the deployment of nuclear weapons in the process.
As far as I am concerned, Zelensky’s victory plan is not just playing with fire, but playing with all life on earth. For the sake of clarity, I stress that I condemn the Russian invasion, and as a supporter of the Treaty of the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, I obviously believe that the use of nuclear weapons should not be employed as a threat.
I therefore once more call for an end to the war in Ukraine through diplomacy. The war in Ukraine has already cost some 500,000 lives of Ukrainian and Russian military personnel, and at least 11,520 civilians, with many people fleeing for their lives. This is unspeakable. It doesn’t require much imagination to envisage what a war between Ukraine/NATO and Russia, the world’s two biggest nuclear weapons powers, could lead to. I try not to think about it. For those who want to know, see Princeton University’s Plan A video on YouTube.
I advocate making use of intermediaries to end the war in Ukraine. At the UN Assembly, China and Brazil proposed a peace plan. Elements of the plan, according to the Guardian newspaper, included: the need to prevent escalation of the war, avoiding the use of weapons of mass destruction, and preventing attacks on nuclear power plants. It is encouraging that Switzerland expressed support for the Chinese-Brazilian peace plan. Meanwhile, Zelensky is seeking support for his own ten-point peace plan. Although this plan contains good points and is based on the UN founding charter and international law, it is a plan from a Ukrainian perspective. For example, it does not include a word about NATO’s eastward expansion.
Another possible diplomatic route would be if, for example, UN Secretary-General António Guterres or Pope Francis mediated. Instead of supplying arms, the international community should push for a diplomatic solution. NATO’s new secretary-general Mark Rutte recently signalled his continued support for Ukraine. However, the Financial Times reports that an opinion poll conducted by the ‘Kyiv International Institute of Sociology for the National Democratic Institute’ this summer showed that 57% of the Ukrainian population support negotiations with Russia. So, if you really want to support Ukraine, end the war. The longer the war goes on, the harder it becomes to resolve it diplomatically. Stopping the violence should be a priority for the international community. They should motivate both Russia and Ukraine to do so. ‘There is no road to peace. Peace is the way’ Gandhi said.
Furthermore, it would be good if both Russia and Ukraine released conscientious objectors and non-violent peace activists and to give them a platform. They do not belong in prison but can make an important contribution to peace through peaceful means, as Professor Séverine Autesserre’s research shows. For example, by contributing to a culture of peace.
As adults, the first thing we should do together is to care for all children, and for each other and nature. Let us cherish life, turn back the doomsday clock and move towards: A World Where All Children Can Play.
May-May Meijer, Founder, Peace SOS
This article was published in Dutch under the title ‘Overwinningsplan Zelensky erg risicovol’ on the Joop BNNVARA website on 9th October 2024.
Photo: The Doomsday Clock of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists
Note: climate change is another reason why the Doomsday Clock is set close to midnight.