US peace plan does not restrict Ukraine's mobilization, army chief says
Photo: Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (facebook.com/CinCAFofUkraine)
The US peace plan does not impose any restrictions on Ukraine regarding mobilization. At the same time, an army of 800,000 troops would be sufficient in peacetime, stated Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi in an interview with Channel 24.
Syrskyi was asked whether Ukraine was satisfied with the provision in the US peace plan that envisions an 800,000-strong army in peacetime.
The general stressed that this number would indeed guarantee Ukraine’s ability to repel any renewed armed aggression by Russia.
"These numbers also guarantee a planned mobilization process. That means we are not restricted in our mobilization. All our mobilization characteristics and capabilities are preserved," added Syrskyi.
He clarified that initially, Ukraine had been offered to reduce the size of its army to 600,000 troops, but the figure of 800,000 satisfies the country’s requirements.
US peace plan
According to information published by Western media outlets, there were plans to limit the size of the Ukrainian army to 600,000 troops.
On December 11, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the peace plan envisages that Ukraine’s armed forces would remain at their current level of 800,000 troops.
On December 28, following talks with US President Donald Trump, Zelenskyy said that security guarantees from the United States had been fully agreed.
Earlier, on December 18, Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that Europe and the United States had developed a detailed security guarantees plan for Ukraine. Under the plan, Ukraine’s army would serve as the first line of postwar deterrence.
