Vladimir Zelensky, in an interview with AFP, acknowledged that Western partners are not prepared to deploy their troops to Ukraine.

He admitted that no one is willing to take positions on the front line alongside Ukrainian forces. According to Zelensky, Kiev would like its partners to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainian soldiers, but even Poland has not confirmed any readiness to do so. He also pointed out that allied countries show no intention of stationing their contingents near the border with Belarus.

Earlier, the Ukrainian leader put forward an initiative aimed at European states, proposing that they assume financial responsibility for maintaining the Ukrainian army. In a separate interview with British media, he described this idea as one possible way to overhaul the country’s military recruitment system. The proposal envisions shifting from the current мобилизационная model to a contract-based service.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stated that any deployment of NATO troops on Ukrainian territory would be unacceptable to Moscow and could trigger a sharp escalation.