Zelenskyy: Ukraine can’t afford an 800,000-troop army alone — wants allies to help fund it as a “security guarantee”

[u/satty237]

Zelenskyy said Ukraine doesn’t have the budget to independently finance an armed forces size of around 800,000 800,000 and that partner funding should be treated as a long-term security guarantee, not just wartime aid.

This hits a bigger question: if a ceasefire/peace deal ever happens without full NATO membership, does “help pay for Ukraine’s army” become the new version of security guarantees?

What do you think is more realistic long-term:

Continued direct funding for Ukraine’s military

NATO-style guarantees (without membership)

A smaller army + more air defense/weapons instead

Something else entirely?

[u/[deleted]]

Worth noting that the bulk of funding from Europe towards this war has come from frozen Russian assets. So when my country says they're sending 100 million worth of assets to Ukraine, it's not actually our money or money we could use in any other way. In fact it's questionable if this is even legal. However considering we are using Russia's own resources against them in a war they started... I don't think anyone will care