Zelensky seeks EU, NATO backing for 'victory plan'

President Volodymyr Zelensky told allies Thursday Ukraine must be in a position of strength before any peace talks with Russia, as he presented his "victory plan" to EU leaders and NATO defence chiefs in Brussels.

More than two and a half years into the war, Kiev is slowly but steadily losing territory in its eastern Donbas region and under mounting pressure to forge an exit strategy — which it says must start with ramped-up Western support.

"Ukraine is ready for real diplomacy, but for it, we must be strong," Zelensky said as he met with the EU's 27 leaders.

"Russia will resort to diplomacy only when it sees that it cannot achieve anything by force," Zelensky added. "This is the plan. This is exactly what's needed, and we must create the right conditions to end this war."

The Ukrainian leader has travelled to Washington, Paris, Berlin, Rome and London to promote his initiative, but it has yet to gain backing from Western capitals — and his plea for an immediate invitation to join NATO is widely viewed as unrealistic.

Zelensky said after his EU talks that a large number of member states had voiced their "full support" for Kiev.

The bloc's leaders in their summit conclusions reiterated their "unwavering commitment" to support Ukraine militarily and economically for "as long as it takes" — but without referring specifically to his plan.

The EU recently approved loaning Ukraine up to 35 billion euros ($38 billion) backed by frozen Russian assets — part of a bigger $50 billion initiative agreed by G7 powers in June.

But there were dissenting voices too.

Hungary's Moscow-friendly Prime Minister Viktor Orban posted on Facebook that Zelensky's roadmap was "beyond terrifying", urging France and Germany "on...