Orbán's unease and Trump's fury: Insights from Zelensky's visit to Brussels.

After the presentation of the "victory plan" in the Verkhovna Rada, President Volodymyr Zelensky took it to Brussels, where he presented it to the participants of the European Council meeting. The current occupant of Bankova particularly emphasized that the plan includes weaponry, an invitation to NATO, and economic reinforcement, which "will provide certainty that there will be investments in Ukraine and that its resources will be protected and will not fall into the hands of Russia or its allies." "The invitation to NATO, as well as the deterrent package and the long-range weapons package – all of this can be preventive. This is not yet membership in the Alliance, it's an invitation. But it is a sign that we will be there, that Ukraine is not alone," the head of state stressed.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, commenting on the "victory plan," noted that there are decisions he has made that "will not change." Apparently, the head of the German government is referring to Taurus, which Berlin has been reluctant to transfer to Kyiv, constantly looking to Washington and expecting similar steps from the United States.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda remarked just after Zelensky's speech at the European Council that he saw nothing new in the "victory plan," adding that most of the points are "aspects on which the EU is still hesitating." In turn, the Prime Minister of neighboring Hungary, Viktor Orbán, stated that Zelensky's "victory plan" "gives him chills": "What he (the President of Ukraine - ed.) outlined made me shudder and even more. I belong to those who call for the European Union to change its current strategy. The EU is losing in this conflict because Brussels entered it with a 'poorly thought-out, poorly implemented, and poorly calculated strategy.' Orbán called for a shift to a 'peace strategy' – to work on a ceasefire and peace negotiations. He also reiterated that if Donald Trump wins the presidential election in the United States, the Republican will "quickly" put an end to the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Speaking of Trump, Zelensky also mentioned him during his working visit to Brussels. In particular, the current guarantor of the Ukrainian Constitution shared during the European Council that during a recent meeting with Trump, he discussed the necessity of Ukraine's accession to NATO, mentioning Kyiv's renunciation of nuclear weapons. In this context, Zelensky recalled the Budapest Memorandum as an ineffective agreement that failed to protect Ukraine, which had given up its nuclear weapons: "Which of these great powers, all nuclear states, has suffered? All? No, only one – Ukraine. Who gave up nuclear weapons? All? No, only Ukraine. Who is fighting today? Ukraine. In a conversation with Donald Trump I told him: 'What is the way out? Either Ukraine will have nuclear weapons – and then that is our protection. Or we must have some alliance. Besides NATO, we do not know of any effective alliances today.'

Zelensky also added that NATO countries are not at war today, which is why Ukraine chooses the Alliance over nuclear weapons. "I believe Donald Trump heard me. He said: 'You have fair arguments,'" the president noted, adding that if partners do not support his "victory plan," it will become a privilege for Russia and a significant mistake.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, October 17, the German tabloid Bild, citing a high-ranking Ukrainian source involved in arms procurement, reported that the Ukrainian authorities would not allow a second offensive by Russian forces on Kyiv and are prepared to consider creating a nuclear bomb to prevent this. This was allegedly discussed at a closed briefing held several months ago, which was also attended by the publication's correspondent Julian Röpcke. "We have the materials, we have the knowledge. If the order is given, we will need just a few weeks to make the first bomb," Bild quotes the Ukrainian official. According to him, the West should "think less about Russia's red lines and much more about Ukraine's red lines."

Bankova quickly sought to disavow the publication by the German outlet. Zelensky's newly appointed advisor, Dmytro Litvin, called the claims that the authorities are seriously considering the option of creating nuclear weapons nonsense during a broadcast on "24 Channel."

According to him, this is merely "a throw of nonsense into the information space." The president himself, speaking at another press conference in Brussels on Thursday evening (this time together with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte), also felt the need to comment on this case. "We have never said we are preparing to create nuclear weapons... For us, there is no protection other than NATO; this is our signal, but we are not creating nuclear weapons," he assured.

As is known, at the time of the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine possessed the third-largest nuclear arsenal in the world – about 1,700-1,900 warheads only on "strategic" carriers. However, as part of the agreements reached in the mid-1990s, Kyiv renounced it in exchange for economic assistance and security guarantees. Since then, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly stated that this was an incorrect decision. Such statements have particularly increased since 2014 when the annexation of Crimea occurred. In February 2022, Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that Kyiv might abandon the Budapest Memorandum, and the then Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, added that he considers the refusal of Ukraine to possess nuclear weapons a significant mistake.

It is worth recalling that in the fall of 2022, the aggressor country represented by Putin's Russia officially accused Ukraine of preparing to create a "dirty bomb." Domestic authorities categorically rejected these accusations. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which monitors compliance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, has never made any claims against Ukraine in this regard, which is important to emphasize. In August of this year, IAEA head Rafael Grossi stated to reporters that agency observers are present at all nuclear power plants in Ukraine and "see no leaks of radioactive materials for the production of a 'dirty bomb.'

Meanwhile, Trump, whom Zelensky mentioned in the nuclear context in Brussels, launched a loud criticism against the current occupant of Bankova, which is clearly a "retaliation." In particular, the Republican bluntly stated that the responsibility for the start of "the military conflict in Ukraine lies with its – Ukraine's – president." Emphasizing that cities in our country "have been razed to the ground," Trump added: "That does not mean I do not want to help him (Zelensky – ed.), because I feel very sorry for those people. But he should never have allowed this war to start. The war is lost."

"Playing on the American edge... Trump exploded with a furious statement directed personally at Zelensky, blaming him for the start of the war in Ukraine. Previously, Trump avoided such direct insulting blows toward Zelensky. What could have caused this? Most likely, it was Zelensky's revelation about the conversation with Trump. Trump perceives comments mentioning his name, which diverge from his media-political image and election strategy, very painfully. Let me remind you that this is the image of a potential negotiator with Putin, a defender, a savior from World War III, and a peacemaker between Ukraine and Russia. And after Zelensky disclosed closed details of the conversation with Trump, where the Ukrainian president posed the question 'either nuclear weapons or Ukraine's NATO membership' and Trump deemed the arguments fair, what reaction could be expected from the Republican candidate? He decided to deliver a sensitive blow of revenge to Zelensky's ego. And this quote from Trump will now be spread by all the world media. If only the Russian ones, but all key media," notes political scientist Oleg Posternak.

Asking the question of why Zelensky allowed himself to mention Trump in a disadvantageous context for him, given that rational logic dictates caution and carefulness ahead of the elections in the U.S., the expert concluded: "Zelensky, with his loud statements, forces us to see Trump not as a 'world judge' who should protect the world from the transformation of the Russian-Ukrainian war into a global one, but as actually a friend of Ukraine, and therefore, a hidden supporter of the continuation of the war. Trump assesses this as a technology against his campaign. Most likely, Zelensky is doing this to carefully play along with Harris and Biden. No other explanation comes to mind. Alternatively, this may be a subtle strategy of placing Ukrainian flags around Trump's future real (not pre-election) position on Ukraine."