Zelenskyy: Ukraine needs 1.5 million soldiers until NATO membership is secured
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine needed an army of 1.5 million before the country became a NATO member, and now the size of the Ukrainian army is almost half that.
According to Censor.NET, citing UP, Zelenskyy said this at a press conference in Munich.
Thus, the president stressed that if Ukraine does not join NATO, it needs to build a security system together with Europe, and it is important that European leaders are aware of this.
"If we are not in NATO, or until we are, we must have an army capable of ensuring defence. [This means] proper weapons. NATO weapons. And a suitable number of soldiers. Ours, Ukrainian. But what's this number? I'm giving you figures that the entire military and I understand. The army will be 1.5 million strong. One and one-half million!" Zelenskyy said.
He pointed out that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are now almost half the size.
"We have around half the number of combat brigades [compared to Russia - Ed.]. They have 220, while we currently have 110. Therefore, we need 220 brigades," said Zelenskyy.
He also added that maintaining such an army would require UAH '60 billion' annually, compared to the current UAH '40 billion' a year. Therefore, it is crucial to consider who will finance this and how.
