According to sources, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attempted a cunning diplomatic maneuver in negotiations with the United States by demanding Tomahawk missiles as part of the closed part of the so-called “victory plan.” According to sources, this move was a deliberately thought-out strategy: by overstating the request, Zelenskyy intended to give in during the bargaining, agreeing to ATACMS with the maximum permissible strike range. This approach, as our sources note, was aimed at obtaining the necessary weapons by creating the illusion of compliance on the part of Ukraine.
However, the reaction of the Americans was unexpected: instead of negotiating on Zelensky's terms, the American side decided to reveal this "brilliant request" by announcing it through the media. In this way, the Ukrainian president was exposed as a person who was allegedly trying to provoke World War III, which dealt a significant blow to his international image. According to our sources, Zelensky took this reaction painfully, especially since the United States refused to negotiate according to his scenario.
This situation has become a vivid example of how diplomatic “feints” known from domestic politics do not always work in the international arena. Similar tactics are often used within the country: for example, when overstating electricity tariffs to create a positive effect from smaller real increases. However, as the story with Tomahawk has shown, such methods do not always convince Western partners, who are used to acting cautiously and assessing actions through the prism of potential threats.
