1.5 million soldiers: An expert discusses whether Ukraine can sustain such an army (video).
Ukraine is allocating all its resources to maintain an armed forces of 1 million personnel. If the number of military personnel is increased, Ukraine's resources will not suffice. On the other hand, there is hope for the European Union and allied relations. Former Chief of the General Staff and military journalist Vladislav Seleznev discussed why Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talked about increasing the army to 1.5 million on the "Kyiv 24" channel.
Seleznev pointed out that Ukraine currently has a million-strong army, the maintenance of which consumes the entire state budget (according to government data, this amounts to 2.23 trillion UAH). Therefore, to increase the number of soldiers by one and a half times, additional funds are needed—about half of what is currently available. In his view, Ukraine has no other sources for this funding. Additionally, it should be noted that a larger army requires an equivalent amount of weapons, ammunition, equipment, and technology. Expecting these supplies from Europe is unrealistic, as European countries also lack resources, the expert believes.
"We need to somehow find another half-year budget for Ukraine. Is that realistic? No. Where can we get that? Even collective Europe states that its warehouses of weapons and military equipment are depleted," Seleznev stated.
According to the expert, when President Zelensky spoke about the growth of the army, he aimed to present Europe with the idea of creating a "European army financed by Ukrainian defense forces." This way, EU countries could gain protection from Vladimir Putin, who has stated that his goal is not only control over Ukraine. The Kremlin leader is attempting to push NATO back to its 1997 borders and is prepared to do so through military means, the expert reminded. Thus, the EU, especially Eastern European countries, would find Ukrainians useful, Seleznev explained possible ideas from Zelensky.
"It is unrealistic to independently sustain an armed confrontation against an army that is still considered the second most powerful in the world. Only allied contractual relations and communications can support this endeavor," emphasized the military expert.
Ukrainian Army — Details
It should be noted that on February 15, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke at the Munich Security Conference, explaining how Ukrainians can defend themselves against Russian advances. Among other things, the politician discussed the necessity of increasing the army to 1.5 million personnel, which would cost $60 billion. In his opinion, such a number of military personnel could protect Ukraine if NATO were to withdraw.
Meanwhile, in January 2024, in an interview with ARD, Zelensky stated that the total number of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) is 880,000 personnel. Additionally, in November 2024, the Financial Times assessed Ukraine's mobilization reserve. Analysts calculated that the total number of men aged 25 to 60 is 11.1 million, with a mobilization reserve of 3.7 million.
We remind you that on February 18, a meeting of U.S. and Russian delegations took place in Saudi Arabia, which aims to restore relations. Meanwhile, on February 17, an EU summit was held where France attempted to persuade Europeans to send troops to Ukraine.