Politics
Zelensky rules out ceding Ukrainian land in Victory Plan, urges NATO invite
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday unveiled his long-awaited Victory Plan to end Russia’s invasion, rejecting any territorial concessions and urging ramped-up Western backing, including an invitation to join NATO.
After pushing back Russian troops at the start of the invasion in February 2022, Kyiv is now facing mounting pressure to find an exit strategy as its troops suffer battlefield losses and Moscow intensifies its strikes on infrastructure.
Russia has seized around a fifth of Ukraine’s territory since the invasion began, reducing towns and cities to rubble and killing thousands of civilians.
Ukraine: position of military forces. Photo: Valentin RAKOVSKY, Sophie RAMIS, Cléa PECULIER / AFP Source: AFP
But in his address to lawmakers in Kyiv on Wednesday, the 46-year-old leader ruled out the possibility that Ukraine could cede some territory to secure peace and also dismissed any pause in the conflict.
“Russia must lose the war against Ukraine. And this does not mean a freeze (in fighting) and it does not mean any trade in Ukraine’s territory or sovereignty,” Zelensky said in his speech to lawmakers, flanked by European Union and Ukrainian flags.
The number one priority in the five-part so-called Victory Plan, the Ukrainian leader said, was closer integration with the US-led NATO defence alliance.
“The first point is an invitation to NATO, now,” Zelensky said, claiming that Moscow had been undermining security in Europe for decades because Kyiv was not a member.
Kremlin derides ‘futile’ plan
Zelensky also said that his country’s Western allies should lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons so Kyiv can target Russian military sites on occupied Ukrainian territory and also within Russia.
The Kremlin immediately dismissed Zelensky’s roadmap to end the grinding conflict, describing it as “some ephemeral peace plan”.
“The only peace plan there can be is for the Kyiv regime to realise the futility of the policy it is pursuing and understand the need to sober up,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Ukrainian servicemen prepare to board an armoured vehicle to go to the front, near the town of Kurakhove in the eastern Donetsk region. Photo: Roman PILIPEY / AFP Source: AFP
Russia has demanded Kyiv abandon territory it already controls in the east and south of Ukraine as a precondition for peace talks.
The Russian military announced during Zelensky’s address to lawmakers that its forces had captured two more villages in eastern Ukraine, where its forces are steadily advancing.
The ministry said the villages of Nevske and Krasnyi Yar had been “liberated”, publishing a video of destroyed buildings in Nevske with Russian flags flying from two of them.
‘Coalition of criminals’
In his address, Zelensky criticised China, Iran and North Korea for their support for Moscow, renewing accusations that Pyongyang was sending its citizens to work in Russian factories and fight alongside Russian forces.
“The coalition of criminals along with Putin already includes North Korea,” Zelensky told lawmakers. “Everyone sees the Iranian regime’s assistance to Putin, and also China’s cooperation with Russia.”
An elderly woman walks past damaged buildings in the town of Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk region. Photo: Roman PILIPEY / AFP Source: AFP
Kyiv has dismissed any rival plans to end the war, including those put forward by Brazil and China, saying they lack guarantees for Ukraine’s security or the war-battered country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Unlike Zelensky’s “Peace Formula,” an agenda that stipulates Russia must withdraw all its troops from Ukraine’s internationally-recognised borders, the Ukrainian leader had until Wednesday given few details about his “Victory Plan.”
He visited European leaders last week in a bid to promote the plan and secure as much aid as possible, as future backing from Washington hinges on the outcome of presidential elections next month.
On Wednesday, he said he had discussed a secret annex to the “Victory Plan” with the United States, Britain, France, Italy and Germany to deploy on Ukrainian territory a “non-nuclear strategic deterrence package” that would discourage future Russian attacks after the war.
He also said he would present his Victory Plan in full at an EU summit on Thursday, urging more Western support and an invitation to NATO.
Politics
President Tinubu Commends Nigeria’s Armed Forces for Protecting Democracy in Benin Republic
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commended the gallantry of Nigeria’s military on Sunday for responding swiftly to the request by the Government of Benin Republic to save its 35-year-old democracy from coup plotters who struck at dawn today.
Acting on two separate requests from the Government of Benin, President Tinubu first ordered Nigerian Air Force fighter jets to enter the country and take over the airspace to help dislodge the coup plotters from the National TV and a military camp where they had regrouped.
The Republic of Benin, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a Note Verbal, requested immediate Nigerian air support “in view of the urgency and seriousness of the situation and to safeguard the constitutional order, protect national institutions and ensure the security of the population.”
In the second request, the authorities in Benin requested the deployment of Nigerian Air Force assets within Beninoise airspace for surveillance and rapid intervention operations under Benin-led coordination.
The Benin government also requested Nigerian ground forces, “strictly for missions approved by the Beninese Command authority in support of the protection of constitutional institutions and the containment of armed Groups.”
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, said all the requests have been fulfilled, with Nigerian ground forces now in Benin.
“Ours is to comply with the order of the Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces, President Tinubu,” he said.
Constitutional order was upended in the Republic of Benin, Nigeria’s neighbour, when some soldiers led by Colonel Pascal Tigri announced a coup on Sunday morning. The putschists seized the National TV and claimed they had toppled President Patrice Talon and suspended all democratic institutions.
It took some hours before the government’s loyal forces, assisted by Nigeria, took control and flushed out the coup plotters from the National TV.
In his remarks after the restoration of the democratic and constitutional order, President Tinubu saluted the Nigerian armed forces for standing firm as a protector and defender of democracy.
“Today, the Nigerian armed forces stood gallantly as a defender and protector of constitutional order in the Republic of Benin on the invitation of the government. Our armed forces acted within the ambit of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. They have helped stabilise a neighbouring country and have made us proud of their commitment to sustaining our democratic values and ideals since 1999. Nigeria stands firmly with the government and people of the Republic of Benin.”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT) is presently meeting in Abuja.
In his opening address, the BoT Chairman, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, reaffirmed the commitment of the body to restoring confidence within the party and organizing congresses in states where they have not yet been held.
Senator Ohuabunwa told members that the national leadership is ready to work collaboratively with all state chapters to bring fresh leadership and stability across the country.
He outlined the PDP’s roadmap: conduct overdue state congresses, consolidate ongoing achievements, and support the national leadership to steer the party back on course.
According to him, these steps are critical to ensuring unity, transparency, and strengthening grassroots engagement.
By holding timely congresses and reinforcing organizational discipline, PDP hopes to rebuild trust among members and present a more organized, credible front ahead of future elections.
Benin’s President Patrice Talon is safe, and security forces are restoring order after a faction of soldiers claimed to have removed him from power, the presidency announced on Sunday.
In a brief statement, the presidency dismissed the soldiers’ declaration as the actions of a fringe group with limited influence.
“This is a small group of individuals who only managed to seize the television station. The regular army is steadily regaining control. Both the city and the entire country remain completely secure,” the statement said.
The clarification follows an earlier broadcast by soldiers identifying themselves as the “Military Committee for Refoundation,” who declared that Talon had been removed from office.
The government has since described the broadcast as an isolated disruption, assuring citizens that the situation is under control.
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