Zelenskiy unveils 'Victory Plan' as Ukraine faces precarious moment

By Olena Harmash and Tom Balmforth

KYIV (Reuters) -President Volodymyr Zelenskiy unveiled his much anticipated "Victory Plan" at Ukraine's parliament on Wednesday, urging his war-weary country to stay united at a precarious time ahead of its key U.S. ally's Nov. 5 presidential election.

As Russian troops advance in the east and a bleak winter of power shortages looms, he told lawmakers his plan contained five main points that relied on Kyiv's allies, including an unconditional invite to join NATO and specific weapons support.

"Together with our partners, we must change the circumstances so that the war ends. Regardless of what Putin wants. We must all change the circumstances so that Russia is forced to peace," he told lawmakers and top officials.

His third point emphasised the need for Ukraine to acquire a non-nuclear deterrence capacity that he said would be enough to destroy Russian military power. He did not elaborate, but said there was an additional secret addendum that he could not disclose.

The plan, he said, also envisaged a Western role defending Ukraine's natural mineral resources from Russian attacks as well as post-war reconstruction pledges.

The speech was attended by his top military, intelligence and political brass as well as lawmakers, some of whom occasionally stood up to applaud.

The Kremlin said it was too early to comment in detail on Zelenskiy's plan, but that Kyiv needed to "sober up" and realise the futility of the policies it was pursuing.

URGING UNITY

After two-and-a-half years of war, the speech sought to persuade Ukraine's exhausted public that the war can be ended soon and to emphasise the importance of ordinary Ukrainians remaining united as war challenges pile up.

"We achieved and are achieving results in battles thanks to our unity. Therefore, please do not lose unity," he said.

Ukraine faces both difficulties and uncertainty ahead of the U.S. election that could return Donald Trump to the White House.

The Republican former president has pledged to rapidly end the war before entering office if he wins, an idea that Kyiv's supporters fear would involve big concessions in the name of a quick deal.

Zelenskiy met U.S. President Joe Biden, his key ally, in Washington at the end of the September to present the plan. In a subsequent whirlwind tour of Europe, he met the leaders of Britain, France, Italy and Germany to discuss it.

Zelenskiy said he would travel to summit of European Union leaders in Brussels on Thursday to present his plan.

(Reporting by Tom Balmforth, Olena Harmash, Yuliia Dysa; editing by Philippa Fletcher)