Zelensky: Ukraine cannot maintain 800,000-strong Armed Forces on its own

Ukraine does not have sufficient financial resources to independently maintain Armed Forces of 800,000 personnel, which is why Kyiv views partner funding as part of its security guarantees.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said this while answering a question on whether Ukraine would be able to finance Armed Forces of that size on its own in the event of a ceasefire, Ukrinform reports.

“No, we are not capable of that – there are not enough financial resources. That is why I am holding this dialogue with leaders, because I see partial financing of our army by partners as a security guarantee for us. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are, first and foremost, the number one security guarantee,” Zelensky said.

He stressed that Ukraine will need time to stabilize its post-war economy in order to reach the capacity to fully finance its Armed Forces independently.

“For now, we need the support of our partners,” the President added.

As reported by Ukrinform, under the draft of a possible peace agreement, the size of the Armed Forces of Ukraine would be set at 800,000 personnel.