Zelenskyy: Alternative to NATO is foreign military contingents on Ukrainian territory and army like Russia’s
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that in the absence of Ukraine's membership in NATO, a possible option would be to deploy NATO troops on Ukrainian territory and create an army that would be equal in size to the Russian army.
He said this in an interview with The Guardian, Censor.NET reports.
Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine does not support the idea of using United Nations troops as a contingent on its territory after the war. According to the president, the Ukrainian army should be not only numerous but also well-armed.
"We are for the contingent, if it is part of the security guarantees, I emphasize that this is impossible without America, without America, security guarantees are not security guarantees in full, as they should be," Zelenskyy said.
The president also noted that for effective security and stability, Ukraine needs to not only finance but also arm its troops. He noted that although US President Donald Trump may not support Ukraine's accession to NATO, it is important to ensure adequate defense spending, which should be at least 5% of GDP.
Zelenskyy also supported French President Emmanuel Macron's idea of deploying 100-150,000 troops from Europe, but stressed that this would not cover the necessary numbers to confront Russia.
"If we are not in NATO, then NATO should be in Ukraine. What kind of army does the Russian Federation have - 1.5 million in 2025. Ukraine's army should be at least 1.5 million. We need 1.5 million. We have 1 million, will they give us 500,000? There are not that many of them, there are no such numbers in Europe," Zelenskyy explained.
