BRUSSELS: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told allies on Thursday (Oct 17) Ukraine must be in a position of strength before any peace talks with Russia, as he explained his "victory plan" to European Union leaders and NATO defence chiefs in Brussels. More than two and a half years into the war, Kyiv 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