Ukraine's victory plan includes more Storm Shadow, ATACMS missiles, presidential advisor says

Ukraine's victory plan includes a request for greater numbers of ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles and a permission to launch then against military targets in Russia, presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in comments published on Oct. 14.

President Volodymyr Zelensky pitched the five-step plan, which was presented as a way to just and lasting peace in Ukraine, to leaders of the leading Western powers, hoping to rally international support behind it.

The victory plan includes specific military, economic, political, and diplomatic steps aimed at pressuring Russia toward ending its war, Podolyak told the WSJ.

According to the advisor, permission to strike military targets deep inside Russian territory could ramp up domestic pressure in Russia, weaken Russian forces, and thus change Russian President Vladimir Putin's strategic calculus.

Ukraine has received several long-range systems from its partners, including U.S.-made ATACMS, French SCALP, and British Storm Shadow, but was not permitted to use them against targets within Russian territory.

Podolyak also said that without further aid for Ukraine, the war could continue for years and undermine the Western global standing. If Ukraine is forced to negotiate from a weaker position, it will only embolden Putin to seek full control over the country, he added.

Ukraine has provided general outlines of its victory plan but has yet to disclose the full details. Speaking on national television on Oct. 12, Podolyak said that the plan would be published within the coming days.

Zelensky urged Ukraine's partners for a "decisive action" to bring Russia's war to an end by next year. The situation grows ever more dire for Kyiv as Russian forces continue grinding on in Ukraine's east and worries grow about the future U.S. support after the presidential election in November.

There are fears that if Donald Trump returns to the White House, he will scale down or withdraw U.S. support and pressure Ukraine toward painful concessions.

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The Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima