Zelensky: peace plan sets size of Ukrainian Armed Forces at 800,000
The President said that in the current version of the peace plan the size of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is listed as 800,000; this, he said, was agreed with the military and corresponds to current figures.
By Tetiana Suchkova-Ladik
December 11, 2025 · 1 min read
Personnel figures in the peace plan
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that in the current version of the peace plan the number of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is indicated as 800,000 people — close to the actual strength as of today. He said this while speaking to the media.
800,000 military personnel
– Volodymyr Zelensky
According to the president, other figures had been proposed earlier in documents; in 2022 there were proposals to limit the number to 40,000 or 50,000. The current figure, he noted, is agreed with the military leadership.
We have sufficiently refined this point
– Volodymyr Zelensky
Other formations and negotiations
In January 2025 Zelensky reported a different estimate of the total strength of the Armed Forces of Ukraine — about 880,000 people, while the Russian contingent in Ukraine was estimated at roughly 600,000.
This refers specifically to the Armed Forces, not to the entire composition of the Defense Forces. The latter also include other agencies and units, in particular:
- National Guard;
- Security Service of Ukraine;
- State Border Guard Service and other units.
- Earlier, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that during the Ukrainian‑American talks in Geneva the issue of reducing the Armed Forces was not discussed; after that meeting several additional negotiations took place, including in the United States.
