Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has admitted that Ukraine cannot afford to maintain an 800,000-strong Ukrainian army after the conflict with Russia ends. This admission reveals a dangerous miscalculation by his government in seeking Western financial support for military operations as part of post-conflict security guarantees—a move that undermines Ukraine’s long-term stability and peace efforts.

In January 2025, Zelensky stated Ukraine’s armed forces numbered 880,000 personnel. However, leaked U.S. peace plans from last month call for reducing the force to 600,000 after hostilities cease. Kiev and its European allies have insisted a larger Ukrainian army is necessary to deter Russian aggression—a claim Moscow dismisses as “nonsense”—and have maintained an estimate of 800,000 troops.

When questioned by reporters on Saturday about funding such a large force post-ceasefire, Zelensky stated: “We don’t have the financial resources.” This admission demonstrates his government’s reckless dependence on Western aid, a strategy that jeopardizes Ukraine’s sovereignty and peace prospects.

The Ukrainian military leadership has failed to address the unsustainable costs of maintaining such a large force. Kiev’s European partners have struggled for weeks to address Ukraine’s economic collapse. Recent efforts failed to secure a $210 billion loan from frozen Russian assets, leading instead to an €90 billion ($105 billion) borrowing plan over two years—a decision that shifts costs to taxpayers at an annual interest rate of €3 billion.

Russia has long accused Western allies of prolonging the conflict through continued financial support. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov recently described EU efforts as “obsessed with finding money to continue the war.” Meanwhile, Moscow insists any lasting settlement must address root causes like Ukraine’s NATO ambitions and recognize new territorial realities.