Ukraine's Army Seeking To Mobilise 500,000 More Troops (Image: X @ZelenskyyUa)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s military is seeking to mobilise up to 500,000 more troops to fight Russia’s invasion. However, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that it was a “highly sensitive” issue that they needed to discuss before taking a decision. The Ukrainian leader made this statement during an end-of-year news conference in Kyiv on December 19.

“This is a very serious number,” Reuters quoted the Ukrainian President as saying. Volodymyr Zelenskyy also added that he wanted to hear more arguments in favour of mobilising the additional soldiers before supporting such a move. “Because first of all, it”s a question of people, secondly, it”s a question of fairness, it”s a question of defence capability, and it”s a question of finances,” Zelenskyy added.

Ukraine has been engaged in war against Russia since February 2022. Even though the exact casualty numbers are not known, US officials estimate that hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the war between Russia and Ukraine. As per the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence statistics, the Ukrainian army had nearly 800,000 troops in October. Notably, this count does not include the National Guard or other units. Reuters reported that Ukraine is currently considering mobilising more men to replace those currently at the front. The Ukrainian President also said that such a huge mobilisation would cost the country around 500 billion hryvnias ($13.4 billion).

Meanwhile, US Senate leaders said on Tuesday that the US will not be able to approve new aid for Ukraine before the year”s end. This will be a huge blow for Volodymyr Zelensky, as the Ukrainian government has warned of the “dire need” for weapons ahead of winter. Western support is a significant factor in Ukraine’s fight against Russia.