Ukraine–Russia war latest: Zelensky’s ‘victory plan’ includes joining Nato

Latvia supports Volodymyr Zelensky’s “Victory Plan”, the country’s defence minister Andris Spruds has said.

Speaking to reporters ahead of today’s Nato meeting, Mr Spruds added that air policing by the Western military alliance over the Baltic states to the defence mission must be upgraded.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky should be able to start talks with Russia from a position of strength, Nato chief Mark Rutte has said.

“We are in this, if necessary, for the long haul,” said Mr Rutte. “Obviously we want to be in a place where Ukraine, from a position of strength, is able to start talks with Russia, but till that moment comes, he can count on continuing support.”

Mr Rutte, formerly prime minister of the Netherlands, assumed the role of Nato chief at the start of this month, taking the reins from Norwegian politician Jens Stoltenberg, who had held the position since 2014.

Lithuanian president Gitanas Nauseda has warned that now is the “worst moment” to start negotiations between Ukraine and Russia because Moscow currently feels it has the upper hand.

“Right now he thinks he is prevailing and pushing Ukraine into the corner. This is the worst moment to start negotiations because he feels Russia is the stronger side,” Mr Nauseda told reporters.

The Baltic nation has been a staunch ally of Ukraine since the 2022 invasion by Russia, fearing it could be a future target.

Estonia hopes to see action and next steps toward Ukraine’s Nato membership, its defence minister Hanno Pevkur has said.

“Estonia has always said that the only real security guarantee for Ukraine is Nato membership,” Mr Pevkur tol reporters ahead of a meeting with counterparts from Nato countries in Brussels.

Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed long-range weapons, the delivery of aid packages and the implementation of his “victory plan” during a phone call with US president Joe Biden.

“We talked about long-range weapons, about the Ramstein meeting in a few weeks. We also talked about how our teams will work on the points of the victory plan,” Mr Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian military said it shot down 22 out of 56 Russian drones during an overnight attack.

The air force said it lost track of 27 drones that likely fell into Ukrainian territory following active electronic warfare measures and two drones went to Belarus.

It recorded five hits to infrastructure in the regions near the frontline during the attack.

The five key points of the “victory plan” unveiled yesterday by Volodymyr Zelensky all involve calls to action for Ukraine’s international allies, in one form or the other.

Zelensky has made clear that he believes this to be what is needed if he is to meet his goal of ending the war “no later than” 2025, the Institute for the Study of War has said.

Simplified, the five points of the plan are as follows:

1. An immediate invitation to join Nato

2. Continued Western support and aid including equipping Ukrainian brigades

3. Supporting Ukraine’s ability to use Western-provided weapons to strike military targets in Russia and increasing intelligence sharing with Ukraine

4. Western and Ukrainian non-nuclear strategic deterrence against Russia

5. Western investment in Ukraine’s strategic economic growth; and a promise that Ukrainian forces will “replace” certain Western military contingents currently stationed in Europe after the war’s conclusion

Ukraine is requesting an invitation to join NATO before Joe Biden leaves the White House, a senior Ukrainian diplomat said.

It would be a fitting way to end the 81-year-old’s presidency, Ukraine argues, and would be a strong “political signal”.

Speaking in an interview at the Ukrainian mission to NATO, the western military alliance’s Kyiv ambassador, Nataliia Galibarenko, said: “We sincerely believe that it can be part of the legacy of [the] current American administration.”

The US presidential election next month could have a significant impact on its approach towards support for Ukraine’s war against Russia, with Donald Trump so far unclear on how he would handle the conflict.

Russia says Ukraine’s possible accession to NATO is a justification for the brutal war they have waged since Putin’s forces invaded in February 2022.

But Galibarenko says an invitation would provide a “final verdict” for Russia, and that they would no longer be able to “raise the stakes using this topic”.

Around 18 North Korean soldiers have already left their positions in Russia’s Kursk and Bryansk, according to a Ukrainian news outlet.

North Korea has sent around 10,000 soldiers to Russia to aid Vladimir Putin’s invasion, a Western diplomat has said.

Of these, over a dozen soldiers have deserted from around 7 km (4 miles) from the border with Ukraine, reported Suspilne.

It is not immediately clear what caused the North Korean troops to voluntarily exit the conflict but the Russian military is looking for the now missing soldiers, the report added.

The information is being concealed by Russian commanders from being leaked to their higher-ups, the sources said.

Ukraine has asked its allies to impose new sanctions on Pyongyang after it said North Korea had become a de facto participant in the war in Ukraine.

“These are workers for Russian factories to replace Russians killed in the war. And personnel for the Russian army. In fact, this is the participation of a second state in the war against Ukraine on the side of Russia,” Mr Zelensky said.

Mr Zelensky said his spy services had confirmed North Korea’s supply of both weapons and people to Russia, echoing similar comments in recent days.

Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha reiterated the call and said Kyiv’s allies should respond firmly, including by imposing new sanctions and further isolating Pyongyang. “This is a huge threat of further escalation. We are approaching a new phase, new realities of war,” he said at a news conference in the Black Sea city of Odesa.

The Kremlin denies the allegation of North Korea sending personnel as “fake news”.