On Thursday, 7 November 2024, the Media Center of the SE GDIP hosted a roundtable discussion entitled The Victory Plan and the outcomes of the U.S. presidential elections: new windows of opportunity for Ukraine.
Volodymyr Ohryzko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (2007–09), Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Head of the Centre for russian Studies, moderated the event. In his opening remarks, Mr Ohryzko outlined the background of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Victory Plan, explaining the work of the expert team in drafting proposals for submission to Ukraine’s top leadership. He compared Zelenskyy’s Victory Plan with the experts’ draft to highlight similar positions. He described the current plan’s relevance while noting certain key omissions:
‘Today, we have the presented Zelenskyy Victory Plan, which is very relevant and useful one in my opinion. However, in my view, some critical elements have been overlooked, such as a clear definition of Ukrainian victory. We must remove any doubts about our objectives. Additionally, there is no mention of russia, accountability for war crimes, reparations for the damage caused to Ukraine, de-imperialisation of russia through demilitarisation and denuclearisation, the right of nations to self-determination — essentially the real decolonisation of the russian federation — and re-evaluation of its role in international organisations. The plan should also include a transition period for the de-russification of russian society and, eventually, democratic elections under international supervision in russia. Implementing even these basic measures could give us hope for a stable future for ourselves, Western civilisation, and those who live near this wild country.’
The following notable figures participated in the roundtable discussion: Alona Hetmanchuk, Founder and Director of the New Europe Center, Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Eurasia Center of the Atlantic Council; Mykhailo Samus, Director of the New Geopolitics Research Network; Oleksandr Savchenko, Rector of the International Institute of Business; Oleh Shamshur, diplomat, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.
The participants examined various critical issues, including: the Ukrainian Victory Plan — everything covered; NATO or nuclear weapons — which path is more realistic; how many weapons does it take to defeat muscovy; victory’s economic dimension — is all for sale; the West and russia after the U.S. elections — what to expect.
The following guests joined the active discussion: Ihor Turianskyi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, diplomatic service veteran, member of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine; Oleksandr Samarskyi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary; Oleksandr Slipchenko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary; Leonid Osavoliuk, Ukrainian diplomat; Andrii Vertehel, Head of the Kyiv Slavic University NGO.
