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"There, in the appendices, it is precisely said what kind of weapons should be used to destroy logistics very far from the front line... what targets will be hit and how many weapons are needed for this."Zelensky revealed the so-called "victory plan" earlier in the day in an address to the country's parliament. The Ukrainian leader toured Western capitals in recent weeks to show the plan to his backers in private and try to generate support for it.
Moscow has dismissed Vladimir Zelensky's much-touted eight-point 'victory plan' as nothing but a "plan for the misfortune of Ukraine," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said in a statement.
Spokeswoman Zakharova responded to the five points of Zelensky's plan at a press conference, calling them nothing more than a "set of incoherent slogans" and "bloody foam on the lips of a neo-Nazi killer."
Commenting on Kiev's "hysteria" about being invited into NATO, the she alleged:"The only place the West sees for Ukraine in its "security architecture" is "in a coffin and Ukrainian citizens in graves. That is why they brought this clown to power, who was supposed to finish off Ukraine as a state and kill as many Ukrainians as possible."She also questioned Zelensky's intent to strengthen Ukrainian defenses by "targeted operations in specific places." The spokeswoman asked why the Ukrainian leader shied away from naming the places and said:"Kiev has been "pushing NATO members towards a direct conflict" with Russia by insisting on obtaining permission to use long-range weapons on Russian territory."Taken together, all of those points and secret sub-points are not a 'plan' for Zelensky's victory. This is a plan for the misfortune of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, yet another extortion of money and a presentation of [Kiev's] terrorist capabilities."Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has responded to Zelensky's plan by calling it nothing more than a roadmap for the continuation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He insisted that the only way to achieve peace was for the Ukrainian leader to "sober up" and "reflect on the causes which have led to the Ukraine conflict."
"Today, Zelensky has finally proven to everyone that he hates Ukrainians to such an extent that can be described as Ukrainophobia."
Ukraine's loss of an F-16 fighter jet weeks after a handful of the aircraft arrived in the country is making Western officials wonder if the decision to accelerate pilot training was correct.
The jet was destroyed last week during a Russian drone and missile barrage, killing one of Ukraine's most experienced pilots. Ukrainian investigators have yet to reveal the cause.
Kiev lobbied Western donors to provide dozens of F-16s to bolster its dwindling Soviet-era air fleet. A small cadre of pilots was selected to undergo training courses in Denmark, the US, and Romania, though Kiev is months away from having enough men to deploy a full squadron.
The training focused on the types of missions Ukraine intends to give to F-16s, primarily interception of Russian cruise missiles. There are no plans to adjust the program.
Before being given combat missions pilots normally train with their units for months, but the Ukrainian airmen engaged in the conflict right away. The rationale was that their pilots experienced with Soviet jets would have an edge over rookies.
There have been claims in Ukraine that the F-16 was shot down by a Patriot missile system, another weapon provided by the country's Western donors. The commander of the Air Force was fired days after the incident.
A source told the WSJ that the aircraft disappeared from radar shortly after a Russian missile exploded near it, possibly damaging the F-16. General Aleksandr Syrsky, the top commander of the armed forces, admitted in an interview with CNN:"Of course, everyone wants the level of training to be the best. At the same time, the dynamics of the front requires us to constantly put conscripted servicemen as soon as possible."
Comment: The only path forward that can lead to real and lasting prosperity for America is one where the foreign policy of peace is not only the end but also the means of achieving that end. As JFK put it: