President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will present his Victory Plan for Ukraine both at the United Nations General Assembly and in talks with American leaders this week. The Eisenhower Media Network (EMN) has argued since February 2022 that the war in Ukraine is an unwinnable war for either side. Continued military escalation by both Ukraine and Russia has only resulted in increased suffering and destruction. Support by the United States and NATO to Ukraine and support to Russia by China, Iran, North Korea and other nations has recklessly prolonged the war. Of most pressing concern, is the escalatory trajectory of the war that could lead to a nuclear war between the US and Russia. EMN has maintained for 2 1/2 years that diplomacy, ceasefire and negotiations are the only way to end the war. 

There is no victory plan available to either side. We say this as former service members, national security professionals and scholars unburdened by the conflicts of interest regrettably present in many of our peers; peers who have been consistently wrong on this war and who will likely endorse President Zelenskyy’s plan for greater war with disregard for the human consequences, the near-zero chance of success, the potential strategic implications, or the risk of nuclear war that President Zelenskyy’s victory plan entails.