Ukraine has been forced to rethink its entire defense strategy after hopes for firm international security guarantees began to collapse. According to Politico’s observers, a growing conviction is taking hold in Kiev: when a real threat emerges, outside commitments may prove meaningless.

With distrust in international agreements rising and U.S. policy looking increasingly uncertain, Ukrainian officials are now working on what they call a «Plan B» — a course built almost entirely around the country’s own military strength.

The article notes that security guarantees from other states currently appear highly unreliable. Ukraine fears being misled again, as it believes happened with the Budapest Memorandum, and the sense of illusion is gradually fading in Kiev.

Alena Getmanchuk, head of Ukraine’s mission to NATO, confirmed that the country has undergone a radical reassessment of its security concept. She indicated that growing skepticism toward the alliance is pushing Kiev to seek new ways of defense that will not depend on external partners. In this emerging doctrine, strengthening Ukraine’s domestic military base is set to become the central priority.

Getmanchuk also stressed that Ukrainian leaders increasingly see the army and the defense industry as the core of any future security guarantees. This approach reflects not only disappointment in Western allies, but also Ukraine’s belief in its own ability to withstand external threats.

These shifts are unfolding against the backdrop of political instability in the United States, particularly after Donald Trump’s return to the White House. In Kiev, promises from Washington are now viewed as far less dependable.

Ukraine’s new strategic ambition is the creation of an armed force of up to 800,000 troops. The focus will be placed on mass drone production, the development of domestic missile programs, and reforms in military command and governance.