Zelenskyy announces size of Ukrainian Armed Forces stipulated in draft peace agreement
Photo: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
In the draft possible peace agreement regarding Ukraine, a provision on the size of the Armed Forces has indeed been agreed upon, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated this while speaking to journalists on December 11.
Specifically, the president was asked whether the peace agreement indeed includes limits on the number of troops in Ukraine. He replied that the document provides for maintaining the actual current size of the Ukrainian army — around 800,000 personnel.
The head of state reminded that in 2022, some proposals suggested limiting the Armed Forces of Ukraine to 40–50 thousand, but such figures are no longer being considered.
"I believe that, as of today, we have sufficiently refined this provision," Zelenskyy said.
US peace plan
Last week, Western media published a draft US peace plan consisting of 28 points. According to unofficial reports, it contained controversial provisions, including limiting the size of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to 600,000 and other concessions to Moscow.
The Ukrainian delegation visited Geneva to negotiate changes to the document. After the talks, Presidential Office adviser Oleksandr Bevz stated that some points were removed or revised. RBC-Ukraine sources also noted that strict limits on the size of the Ukrainian army were excluded from the plan.
As early as 2022, the Russian side demanded a significant reduction in the size of the Ukrainian army. At that time, Russia sought to limit the Armed Forces of Ukraine to 85,000 personnel, 342 tanks, 519 artillery systems, and restrict the range of Ukrainian missiles to 40 km. Ukraine, in contrast, wanted to maintain 250,000 troops, 800 tanks, and 1,900 artillery systems.
During negotiations in Istanbul in June this year, Russia again demanded a reduction in the size of Ukraine’s army and other military formations, as well as the disbandment of Ukrainian "nationalist formations" within the Armed Forces and the National Guard.
