After he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in New York on Monday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the two spoke about the president’s “Peace Formula.” Still, he did not mention the German leader’s opposition to using its long-range weapons.
“I met with Olaf Scholz. We discussed how to bring a just peace closer,” Zelensky wrote on social media. “The key to achieving this is to stay united. That is exactly what our Peace Formula was created for, and we have already held a successful first Peace Summit. Now we are preparing for the second one,” Zelensky wrote.
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Before the meeting, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Scholz reiterated that he still does not support the lifting of restrictions on Kyiv’s use of German-donated weapons within Russian territory.
The idea of allowing long-range strikes against Russia “is not in line with my personal position,” he said, emphasizing that these were decisions made by the German government.
“We will not do this. And we have good reasons for that,” he said.
Ukrainska Pravda noted that the longest-range weapon supplied by Berlin is the Mars II missile system, which can hit targets at a distance of about 50 miles and which Germany allows to be used on Russian targets near the border, as well as the Panzerhaubitze 2000, which has a range of about 35 miles.
ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December, 20, 2024
Zelensky was at UN Headquarters on Monday to deliver a speech during the “Summit for the Future,” in which he underscored Moscow’s disdain for the international body’s charter and its institutions.
“The same small group of seven accomplices led by Russia has once again acted destructively, always opposing any global initiatives that strengthen the effectiveness of the UN Charter,” Zelensky told the gathering.
“Ukraine supports efforts to keep all nations united, safe and strictly adhere to the UN Charter. And you all can see who always not only stands against it but also actively works to undermine global unity,” Zelensky said. (He was referring specifically to the six members who joined Russia in voting against the proposed “Pact for the Future”: Belarus, North Korea, Iran, Nicaragua, Sudan, and Syria.)
Zelensky will address the UN Security Council on Tuesday.
US and UK are said to have approved long-range strikes behind closed doors, but are preserving the element of surprise.
After touring an ammunition plant in US President Joe Biden’s hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and his subsequent visit to the UN General Assembly, Zelensky’s next order of business is to present his peace plan (which he also refers to as a “Victory Plan”) to Biden in person. Part of his outline renews calls for a free hand in aiming donated long-range missiles at Russian targets.
Thus far, Biden’s administration has not announce that it will reverse its policies and allow Kyiv to use US-made long-range weapons deep within Russia. However, the Times (UK) recently reported that a pact between London and Washington was hatched last week.
“British officials believed US Secretary of State [Antony] Blinken had signaled the US was moving closer giving the green light,” the Times wrote. “However, Biden’s team were said to be holding out for Zelensky to present a ‘victory plan.’”
The article’s authors reported that two different statements from the British and American sides for their joint press conference were prepared about the use of Storm Shadow and US-made missiles: “One was drafted to announce the decision to authorize Ukraine’s use of the missiles, and the other, which was delivered, said they were still considering the request.”
“The Times understands there is wariness about publicizing the move in advance to alert Russia,” they wrote.
Even if Biden does not announce the lifting of such restrictions at their meeting this week, at least Zelensky’s visit to the US should roughly coincide with the unveiling of a new $375 million military aid package for Kyiv.
Zelensky presents the order of merit to Japan’s prime minister, as Tokyo warns Moscow about patrol planes in its airspace
Japan lodged a “very serious protest” with Moscow after a Russian patrol plane entered its airspace three times, AFP quoted the Japanese defense minister as saying on Monday. It reported that Tokyo scrambled fighters that issued radio and flare warnings.
“We confirmed today that a Russian Il-38 patrol aircraft has violated our airspace over our territorial waters north of Rebun Island, Hokkaido, on three occasions,” Minoru Kihara told reporters.
Rebun lies at the northeastern extreme of the nation’s archipelago, about two dozen miles (40 km) from the southern tip of Russia’s Sakhalin island.
“The airspace violation is extremely regrettable and today we lodged a very serious protest with the Russian government via diplomatic channels and strongly urged them to prevent a recurrence.”
He added that the “Russian military has been active in the vicinity of our country since the invasion of Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Zelensky presented Prime Minister Fumio Kishida with the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, First Class (the third-highest Ukrainian civilian medal, awarded for “distinguished services”) and thanked the prime minister for Tokyo’s continued support of Ukraine.
“This is an award from all Ukrainian people for the strong support that Japan has provided since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion,” Zelensky said, singling out the country’s financial and humanitarian assistance, and help with technological projects.
He added that Kyiv and Tokyo are embarking on a “bridge to the next step: strategic partnership,” diplomatic language for military assistance.
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