Zelenskyy Outlined What the Army Should Look Like After the War

To ensure the country’s complete security, it is important to maintain the strength of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at 800,000 service members. The size of the army remains an exclusively internal matter for Ukraine and is not subject to discussion with representatives of Russia or the United States, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated.

According to him, the size of the Ukrainian Armed Forces may be reduced if the country gains full membership in NATO. The key factors in this matter are the financial capacity to maintain the military—who will pay for the Ukrainian army—and the provision of security guarantees within the Alliance.

Source: Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with TSN.

Zelenskyy also stated that preserving the army and rejecting neutrality remain matters of principle for Ukraine, and that its security guarantees cannot be dictated by Russia. At the same time, the issue of territories has been defined as a “red line” that Ukraine is prepared to discuss exclusively at the level of heads of state, while technical groups are to work out the details of security guarantees with the participation of the U.S. and Europe, which is to take place during the next round of negotiations.

However, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s statement agreeing to resume peace talks with Ukraine does not yet guarantee that they will actually take place. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that the results of any contacts must be assessed based on the outcomes of the meetings, not before they begin.