Zelenskyy calls for EU help to build contract army model

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on European partners to help finance the country’s transition from a mobilization-based military system to a fully contract-based armed force.

Zelenskyy said European nations could play a crucial role in funding the reform, which he described as financially out of reach for Kyiv without external support.

He noted that Russia offers financial incentives to individuals who sign military contracts and said Ukraine aims to introduce a similar mechanism. However, he acknowledged that the country currently lacks sufficient domestic resources to implement such a program on its own.

Zelenskyy said that this was where European countries could help and noted that, so far, they had not been financing the program, underscoring the need for additional backing from Ukraine’s allies.

By Vafa Guliyeva