Ukrainian Military asks Zelensky to mobilise half a million people to defeat Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday (December 19) that the military had asked for an additional 450,000-500,000 people to be mobilised into the army, "a very serious number," he said addressing a televised news conference in the capital Kyiv.

He said he would need more arguments from the military to support the request and that top military and government officials were due to discuss the issue before it is put before the parliament.

Amongst the considerations, Zelensky said, was finances. Funding for Ukraine has been held up recently in both the U.S. and European Union amid political tussles as Ukraine fends off a full-scale Russian invasion.

However at the same news conference the president said he was certain that crucial U.S. and European financial aid would continue and also that he expected the European Union to approve a 50 billion euro aid package soon.

Zelensky said that conducting a mobilisation at such a scale would require additional financing.

The Sun newspaper brings you the latest breaking news videos and explainers from the UK and around the world

Become a Sun Subscriber and hit the bell to be the first to know

Read The Sun: http://www.thesun.co.uk
Like The Sun on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesun/
Follow The Sun on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSun
Subscribe to The Sun on Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/The_Sun/1633225139
#ukraine #russia #worldnews

Видео Ukrainian Military asks Zelensky to mobilise half a million people to defeat Russia канала The Sun