Ukraine wants 1.5 million-strong army if it doesn't join NATO

(Dan Tri) - Ukraine estimates that they will need up to 60 billion USD to maintain the above military force if they are not allowed to join NATO.

A group of Ukrainian soldiers participate in training (Photo: Acaba Press).

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a press conference in Munich, Germany on February 14 that if Ukraine is not allowed to join NATO, it will need to build and fund a 1.5 million-strong army to effectively counter Russia.

Mr Zelensky stressed that maintaining an army of that size would cost $60 billion a year.

“If we are not in NATO or until we join NATO, we must have a military force capable of defending the country. This includes suitable weapons – according to NATO standards – and a suitable number of soldiers – our Ukrainians. But how many?”, he asked.

“I am just telling you the numbers that we have agreed with the military. It will be an army of 1.5 million people. One and a half million!”, Mr Zelensky declared, but did not clarify whether this number included reservists.

Mr. Zelensky said that the Ukrainian army currently has only 110 combat brigades, while Russia has up to 220 brigades, and the cost of maintaining this force is currently 40 billion USD per year.

In an interview with American podcast host Lex Fridman on January 6, Mr. Zelensky revealed that Ukraine currently has 980,000 military personnel serving.

This week, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called Ukraine's bid to join NATO "unrealistic," a sentiment echoed by US President Donald Trump.

While Mr Hegseth also ruled out the possibility of deploying US troops to Ukraine as part of a future security commitment, US Vice President JD Vance later said the proposal had not been completely ruled out.

On the other hand, the Ukrainian Prime Minister proposed the creation of an EU army with Ukrainian soldiers as its core to replace the US presence in Europe. The US military has 1.3 million active service members as of September 2023.

On February 11, Mr. Zelensky said that if Ukraine is not allowed to join NATO, "it means that Ukraine will build NATO on its territory."

"We need an army on par with the Russian army. And all this requires weapons and money. We will ask the United States for support," Mr. Zelensky said.

He noted that Ukraine would need to double its armed forces to match Russia's military. However, he believes that Europe could help Ukraine expand its military with financial resources, while the US could provide specific weapons such as long-range missiles and Patriot air defense systems.

Ukraine has long pursued the goal of becoming a member of the NATO alliance. Kiev even included it in its constitution. Ukraine formally applied for NATO membership in September 2022, seven months after Russia began its special military operation.

NATO has pledged to bring Ukraine into the alliance since 2008, ignoring Russian warnings that Moscow viewed the proposal as a major threat to its national security. According to Russian officials, the conflict in Ukraine erupted in large part because the military bloc sought to incorporate Kiev.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/ukraine-muon-co-doi-quan-15-trieu-nguoi-neu-khong-duoc-vao-nato-20250215094714661.htm