Zelenskyy on increasing the army: Ukraine needs 100,000 more Western troops

Ukraine has developed a plan to increase its army, which includes the involvement of European military contingents. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may present this plan at the Munich Security Conference.

He stated this in a conversation with journalists.

"We will build NATO in Ukraine – then weapons from you (the West), contingents from Europeans and Americans. A contingent not of 5 or 7 thousand, as previously mentioned. I have tasked the military to calculate, and we need 100,000 people," Zelenskyy said.

According to him, this step is necessary due to the growth of the Russian army. The Kremlin plans to increase its forces by 150,000 by 2025, which requires a corresponding response from Ukraine.

The President also emphasized that the national budget has a significant deficit, and funding for the army is a critical issue.

"We have a deficit of 40 billion dollars, and everyone is helping us today. This is an army of 110 brigades, 800+ thousand people. And if Russia increases the size of its army, we need at least 1.5 times more people. That is, an additional 15-20 billion dollars. What’s cheaper – NATO or this?" Zelenskyy pointed out.

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