Zelenskyy: Today, The Ukrainian Armed Forces Are, In Effect, The Leading Army In Europe

• 18.06.2026, 22:16

The existence of such an army should help prevent any future aggressive moves by Putin.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are currently, in effect, the leading army in Europe. This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on his Telegram channel.

“Today, the Ukrainian army is effectively the leading army in Europe, capable of deterring and resisting large-scale aggression over a long period of time. And after this war, it must remain so,” wrote the president.

According to Zelenskyy, in light of this, we need to start thinking today about funding the Ukrainian army for the coming years.

Prior to this, Zelenskyy held a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and French President Emmanuel Macron. During the talks, the Ukrainian president requested financial support to transform the Armed Forces of Ukraine into a contract-based army modeled after European standards.