Zelenskyy Takes 'Victory Plan' on European Tour

Above: Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L), British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (C), and Mark Rutte, Secretary General of NATO (R), during a meeting at Downing Street in London, UK, on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. Image copyright: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Contributor/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-Ukraine narrative

Ukraine's ascension to NATO would show Russian Pres. Putin that the continued occupation of Ukraine will leave Moscow lost on the international stage. As Ukrainian Pres. Zelenskyy has said, Russia must recognize that Europe has borders and independent states, and that every nation has the right to choose its own future.

Pro-Russia narrative

Dragging Ukraine into the NATO military alliance would exacerbate the issues that started this whole conflict in the first place, particularly given NATO's cultivation of Ukrainian nationalism that resulted in a violation of the rights of the country's Russian-speaking citizens. It's impossible to achieve a fair settlement without eliminating the route cause of the conflict.

Metaculus Prediction

There's a 50% chance that NATO will have at least 32 member countries on December 31, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.



Go Deeper


Establishment split

CRITICAL

PRO

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