The anonymous US officials have expressed what the newspaper described as exasperation with Zelensky's new plan, which they consider unrealistic and dependent almost entirely on Western aid.
One senior official addressed, in particular, the plan's clause on a "non-nuclear deterrence package," which has not been made public but reportedly includes a request for Tomahawk missiles. The official considers this request totally unfeasible, as cited in the report, as Tomahawk's 1,500-mile range is more than seven times farther than that of the ATACMS missiles, which the US sent to Ukraine this year after long deliberations.
Moreover, the White House is hesitant to send Ukraine the missiles which it believes may serve a better purpose in the Middle East or Asia, as Kiev's list of potential targets inside Russia requires far more missiles that Washington initially earmarked, the official was cited as saying.
Zelensky unveiled his "victory plan" in mid-October, insisting that it could help end the conflict in Ukraine no later than 2025. The document includes five clauses and three secret addendums. In particular, the Ukrainian leader proposes inviting Ukraine to NATO, lifting restrictions on strikes deep into Russian territory, and deploying a "comprehensive non-nuclear deterrence package" in Ukraine.
Zelensky's plan drew criticism in the EU and NATO for outlining in detail the multiple obligations of Ukraine's Western allies but not assigning any to Kiev itself. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova slammed it as a set of incoherent slogans which pushed NATO into a direct conflict with Russia, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the real peace plan for Kiev would be to realize the futility of the Ukrainian policy. He said that Kiev should "wake up" and understand the reasons that led it to the conflict.