Ukrainian authorities developed their “victory plan” with the possibility of a Trump presidency in mind, The Financial Times reported, citing its own sources.
The plan aims to win over Trump, who has advocated cutting U.S. funding for Ukraine and ending the war swiftly. Two proposals were specifically tailored for Trump: replacing some U.S. troops in Europe with Ukrainian forces after the war and sharing key Ukrainian natural resources with Western partners. President Volodymyr Zelensky presented these ideas to Trump during a September meeting in New York. A Financial Times source familiar with the meeting said Trump found the ideas intriguing.
Ukraine started developing these proposals in the summer of 2024 “to impose [its] narrative before Trump could impose his own,” according to a source involved. The Financial Times also noted that some Ukrainian business leaders proposed giving Trump “investment screening” powers to determine who can do business in Ukraine. This idea, which one source called “ABC — anybody but China,” aims to reduce reliance on Chinese technology and materials, such as in telecommunications, and shift to U.S. alternatives.