Zelensky: The Ukrainian Army Seeks to Enlist an Additional 450,000 to 500,000 Personnel

Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, stated on Tuesday, December 19, that the country's army has requested an additional 450,000 to 500,000 personnel to join the military, but a final decision has not yet been made. During a press conference in Kyiv, the Ukrainian president mentioned that due to the significance of mobilizing several hundred thousand individuals, the parliament will review this matter after discussions among senior military and government officials. Zelensky added that mobilizing forces on such a scale requires additional funding, stating, 'Their (the army's) opinion was... they proposed mobilizing an additional 450,000 to 500,000 individuals. This figure is very serious.' He further noted that he needs more arguments to support this move: 'Because, firstly, it is a matter of the people, secondly, it is a matter of fairness, it concerns defense capability, and it is a financial issue.' Zelensky indicated that if this decision is made, an additional 500 billion hryvnias (approximately $13.5 billion) would be needed to support the mobilization. This comes at a time when, according to statistics provided by former Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov last summer, about one million people are currently serving in Ukraine's security and defense sector. The plan to mobilize fresh troops by the army occurs amid the uncertain future of continued foreign aid, especially from the United States, which is one of Kyiv's biggest challenges. Although EU leaders surprisingly agreed in mid-December to begin negotiations aimed at Ukraine's membership, Hungary, as a member state, has blocked the EU's $54 billion aid package to Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia. Four months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, the EU proposed Ukraine's candidacy for membership in this European bloc, after which Kyiv began the necessary reform process. Ukraine shot down five Russian drones. Zelensky: The progress of Ukraine's alignment with EU laws will soon be assessed. The EU greenlit the start of negotiations for Ukraine's membership. The U.S. Congress approved an $886 billion defense budget.