**Ukraine Won’t Reduce Army, Says President Zelensky**
President Volodymyr Zelensky has told journalists in Brussels that Ukraine will not agree to reduce its Armed Forces. This decision comes despite the possibility of Kyiv joining NATO.
In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin used “demilitarization” as one of his excuses for invading Ukraine. Moscow demanded that Ukraine reduce its army to 50,000 people, which is five times fewer than the country‘s current military strength.
Zelensky believes that Western guarantees are not enough to prevent another attack from Russia. He thinks that a strong and large army is necessary to protect Ukraine. “We simply have no right to limit the strength of our army in any case,” he said.
**Membership in NATO Would Be Best Security Guarantee**
Kyiv’s membership in NATO would be the best security guarantee, Zelensky believes. He has stated this several times before and reiterated it during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
“We do not expect (an invitation to NATO) from anyone, (but) we are fighting for this right,” he said.
**Ukraine Aiming to End War through Diplomacy in 2025**
Zelensky also stated that Ukraine will make every effort to be strong enough by 2025 to end the war through diplomacy. Andriy Yermak, head of the Presidential Office, previously stated that Kyiv is not prepared to enter negotiations with Russia without sufficient Western support.
“We will do everything so that next year we can be strong and move on to diplomacy,” Zelensky said.
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