Zelenskyy outlines his 'victory plan' to Ukraine's lawmakers, including a call to join NATO

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told lawmakers Wednesday that Ukraine’s Western partners are increasing pressure to negotiate with Russia, but he hinted such talks would be unfavorable to Kyiv as he unveiled what he called his “victory plan” for the war.

Major points of the plan include an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO and permission to use Western-supplied longer-range missiles to strike military targets deep inside Russian territory — steps that have been met with reluctance by Kyiv's allies so far.

“If we start moving according to this victory plan now, it may be possible to end the war no later than next year,” Zelenskyy told the Verkhovna Rada, the parliament. He will present the five-point plan to the European Council on Thursday.

Zelenskyy also said that in private communications with Ukraine, its partners are increasingly mentioning “negotiations” and much less frequently using the word “justice.”

But he reiterated that Ukraine is not prepared for a “frozen conflict” or any “trade-offs involving territory or sovereignty,” which drew sustained applause from the lawmakers.

As the war grinds through its third year, the mood in Ukraine is grim as its troops face difficulty holding back Russian advances, especially in the east. Although Moscow's gains are incremental, the steady forward movement is making Kyiv feel it needs more large-scale Western help.

But there are signs that support may be hurt by the increasing focus on conflicts in the Middle East. The U.S. presidential election next month also could bring a major shift from Washington toward Ukraine.

Zelenskyy's plan has been shrouded in secrecy as he outlined it to key allies including U.S. President Joe Biden in recent weeks, and he did not mention some of its more confidential parts to the lawmakers.

The plan is seen as a way for Ukraine to strengthen its hand in any negotiations with Moscow. Besides the NATO invitation and seeking permission for the longer-range missile attacks, it includes continued military operations in Russia, such as the incursion into the Kursk border region that began in August.

Ukraine, he said, also needs more air defense systems and assistance from partners to shoot down Russian missiles. It also requested access to a broader range of intelligence from allies.

Lawmakers will prioritize the bills needed to implement Zelenskyy's plan, said Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk after the speech. Stefanchuk said that while the issue of NATO membership is political, it also requires adopting laws to match the alliance's standards.

Zelenskyy’s request for an invitation leaves NATO in a bind. Since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, NATO has struggled to find a way to bring Ukraine closer without formally inviting it in.

“We understand that NATO membership is a matter of the future, not the present," Zelenskyy acknowledged. He reckons that such an invitation would alter President Vladimir Putin's “geopolitical calculations.”

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte remained noncommittal after the plan was unveiled.

“We are in close contact with allies, with Ukraine, to see how we can take next steps,” Rutte told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels. He declined to provide details, saying: “I cannot give you all the insights about that.”

“We are working with the Ukrainians to understand better … how this would help in ending the war,” he said. For now, Rutte added, the focus must be to help Ukraine to win back more territory and strengthen its position for any future peace negotiations.

Zelenskyy said granting Ukraine an invitation to NATO would be a “testament of determination” by its allies to support Kyiv.

NATO’s collective security guarantee — Article 5 of its founding treaty — is the pillar on which its credibility is based. It is a political commitment by all member countries to come to the aid of any member whose sovereignty or territory might be under attack.

At their summit in Washington in July, NATO’s 32 members declared Ukraine to be on an “irreversible” path to membership. Any decision on offering to start membership talks is probably not likely before the next summit in the Netherlands in June.

Despite his attempts to win approval for the plan from Western partners, none have yet publicly voiced their support.

Zelenskyy and Biden spoke by phone later Wednesday to discuss a new $425 million package of security assistance for Ukraine from Washington, the White House said.

Asked about Ukraine's “victory plan,” White house press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded, “That’s their plan, and let them speak to it,” adding that the U.S. would continue ”to show our support for the Ukrainians on the battlefield." Biden is to travel to Germany, where he will meet Friday with Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Lawmakers had a mixed reaction to Zelenskyy's plan and whether it could be implemented.

“First of all, it’s not a plan. Plan means something with concrete steps," said opposition lawmaker Oleksii Honcharenko. "It’s kind of a wish list from Ukraine for our partners, how they can and should support us. And it doesn’t look realistic. We were waiting for some real serious conversation about the situation and the strategy, and this is not that.”

He said that delivering a plan purported to be about victory as Russia advances in the east is “contradictory.”

Lawmaker Oleksandr Merezhko, from Zelenskyy’s party, called it “realistic and rather pragmatic,” adding: "It can be implemented if we have enough aid and support from our allies and partners.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mocked it as “ephemeral,” and Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called it “a set of incoherent slogans.”

In his speech, Zelenskyy also underscored his recent claim that North Korea is sending military personnel as well as ammunition to help Russia’s war effort, and that Iran and China also are aiding Moscow.

He noted that Ukraine is rich in natural resources, including critically important metals “worth trillions of U.S. dollars,” such as uranium, titanium, lithium, graphite and others.

Those assets, as well as the country’s agricultural production, are among Russia’s key targets in the war, he said, but could be shared with partners to boost each others' economies. Similarly, battle-hardened Ukrainian troops would be an asset for NATO efforts to keep Russia at bay, Zelenskyy added.

Associated Press writers Lorne Cook in Brussels and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed.

Follow AP's coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Ukrainian servicemen of Khartia brigade control the drone aerial view in the command centre in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Oct. 16, 2024, Head of Ukrainian Presidential Office Andriy Yermak,left, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Lieutenant Generel Bargilevich Anatoly Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Lytvynenko Head of Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Maj. Gen. Vasyl Maliuk Chief of Ukraine's Security Service, Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's military intelligence chief, listen a speech of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)

Ukrainian serviceman of Khartia brigade carries shell to the D-30 Howitzer in order to fire towards Russian positions in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

Ukrainian serviceman of Khartia brigade checks the D-30 Howitzer after firing towards Russian positions in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

Ukrainian servicemen of Khartia brigade fire D-30 Howitzer towards Russian positions in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Oct. 16, 2024, Head of Ukrainian Presidential Office Andriy Yermak,left, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Lieutenant Generel Bargilevich Anatoly Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Lytvynenko Head of Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Maj. Gen. Vasyl Maliuk Chief of Ukraine's Security Service, Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's military intelligence chief, listen a speech of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)

In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Oct. 16, 2024, Head of Ukrainian Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, left, shakes hand with Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine General Oleksandr Syrskyi at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)

In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Oct. 16, 2024, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to parliamentarians at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)

In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Oct. 16, 2024, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives to speak to parliamentarians at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)

In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Oct. 16, 2024, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to parliamentarians at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)

In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Oct. 16, 2024, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to parliamentarians at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)

In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Oct. 16, 2024, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to parliamentarians at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)

In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Oct. 16, 2024, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to parliamentarians at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)

In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Oct. 16, 2024, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to parliamentarians at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)

In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Oct. 16, 2024, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to parliamentarians at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)

In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Oct. 16, 2024, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to parliamentarians at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)

In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Oct. 16, 2024, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to parliamentarians at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)

In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Oct. 16, 2024, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to parliamentarians at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)

In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Oct. 16, 2024, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to parliamentarians at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)

In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Oct. 16, 2024, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to parliamentarians at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)

In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Oct. 16, 2024, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy listens to the national anthem before his speech at Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)

FILE - Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump meets with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Trump Tower, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

FILE - Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Sept. 26, 2024, in the vice president's ceremonial office inside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

FILE - In this image provided by the Office of the Ukrainian Presidency, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, is watched by Rich Hansen, the commander's representative for the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, while signing military ordnance in Scranton, Pa., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (Office of the Ukrainian Presidency via AP, File)

FILE - Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, on Sept. 25, 2024, at UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

FILE - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg wrap up a joint press conference on July 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

FILE - U.S. President Joe Biden, center, with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, front second left, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, front left, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, front second right, President of Poland Andrzej Duda, right, and other world leaders pose for a family picture of the launching of a Joint Declaration of Support for Ukrainian Recovery and Reconstruction, on Sept. 25, 2024, in New York. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a joint press conference during the Crimea Platform summit in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)

The path for the NFL's Washington Commanders to return to the nation’s capital is clear after an on-again, off-again saga in Congress ended early Saturday with a postmidnight reprieve.

The U.S. Senate passed a resolution to transfer the land including old RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia. The D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act passed by voice vote at roughly 1:15 a.m. after more than a year of lobbying and support from Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., district Mayor Muriel Bowser, Commanders controlling owner Josh Harris and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

“We are extremely grateful that our elected officials have come together on a bipartisan basis to give Washington, D.C., the opportunity to decide on the future of the RFK Stadium site," Harris said. "This bill will create an equal playing field so that all potential future locations for the home of the Washington Commanders can be fairly considered and give our franchise the opportunity to provide the best experience for all of our fans.”

The RFK Stadium land provision was part of Congress’ initial short-term spending bill Tuesday before it was torpedoed by President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the latter of whom amplified misinformation about the site on his social media platform X. Two versions of the House's slimmed-down bill, including the one that passed Friday night to avoid a government shutdown, did not include it.

Giving the local government control of the land for the next 99 years allows for the decaying husk of the old stadium to be torn down and the site redeveloped for any number of things. One of the possibilities is a football stadium and surrounding entertainment options at the franchise's former home.

“We appreciate the bipartisan group of Congressional leaders who made this important breakthrough possible,” the NFL said in a statement. “Washington, D.C., will now have a long-overdue seat at the table when it comes to the location of a new Commanders stadium.”

Bowser called it “a win for D.C., for our region and for America.”

“Everybody loves a good comeback story — and that’s D.C.’s story,” she said.

All that awaits is President Joe Biden's signature to become law, which could come as soon as Saturday. Comer went as far as saying that Senate passage of the bill is “a historic moment for our nation's capital.”

“If Congress failed to act today, this decaying land in Washington would continue to cost taxpayers a fortune to maintain,” he said. “Revitalizing this RFK Memorial Stadium site has been a top economic priority for the city. ... This bipartisan success is a testament to the House Oversight Committee’s unwavering effort to protect taxpayers and our full commitment to ensuring a capital that is prosperous for residents and visitors for generations to come.”

Playing in Washington again is no sure thing. The Commanders are also considering other places in the district, Maryland and Virginia to build a stadium in the coming years.

Their lease at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, runs through 2027. Harris called 2030 a “reasonable target” for a new stadium.

The team played at RFK Stadium 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) east of the Capitol from 1961-96 before moving to Maryland. Harris and several co-owners, including Mitch Rales and Mark Ein, grew up as Washington football fans during that era, which included the glory days of three Super Bowl championships from 1982-91.

Ein said on social media, “Still many steps to go and even bigger than a possible stadium last night’s bill was an extraordinary moment of bi-partisan and regional cooperation to do something big and important and get 174 acres of unused, blighted and critical land to DC so they can bring it back to life.”

Part of the way the provision got into the bill initially involved an agreement between the team and Maryland to tear down the current stadium in a timely fashion and redevelop the site with a project of equal economic impact, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press earlier this week on condition of anonymity because the deal was not being publicized.

After the Senate greenlit the RFK Stadium land transfer, Maryland Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, both Democrats, said they continued to believe their state's partnership with the team should continue long into the future.

“After working to level the financial playing field, and receiving assurances that should the team move they will redevelop the existing site in a manner that meets the needs of the community, tonight we supported the proposed land transfer legislation,” Cardin and Van Hollen said. "We have always supported the District’s effort to control its own land, and through regional discussions and cooperation, our concerns with this proposal have been addressed.”

The team has played games in Maryland since 1997 and practices in Ashburn, Virginia, not far from Dulles International Airport.

A return to the district would be another victory for Bowser, who on Thursday celebrated the start of an $800 million downtown arena renovation that is keeping the NBA's Wizards and NHL's Capitals in town. At that news conference, she took aim at Musk for sharing incorrect information on X, formerly Twitter, about taxpayers footing the bill for a new stadium.

The bill specifically prohibits the use of federal funds for a stadium on the site, “including training facilities, offices, and other structures necessary to support a stadium.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

FILE - A vehicle pushes up pikes of snow after trucks dump their loads of snow in the parking lots of RFK Stadium in Washington, Monday, Jan. 25, 2016. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)