Russia plans to spend about $300 billion on the war next year. The sanctions will stop Russian dictator Vladimir Putin from funding his aggression against Ukraine in such quantities.
This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky during a briefing with representatives of Ukrainian and foreign media as part of the International Conference on the Restoration of Ukraine in Rome.
Zelensky on Russia's financing of the war
— If you add up all the budgets of a Russian soldier today, he will receive from 6 to 8 thousand US dollars. All budgets. They have local budgets, there are state budgets. So imagine how much Russia is paying for this war. One soldier, a Russian contract soldier, will receive exactly that much, — Zelensky said.
According to him, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is counting on an army of 1.5 million people. Currently, the Russian army consists of 1.2 million people, the Ukrainian president noted.
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– What can stop this money? How will he pay in such volumes? We believe that he can spend $300 billion on the war next year. Sanctions will stop his ability to finance it like that. He will have a deficit of such large budgets, – Zelensky suggested.
In his opinion, it is also worth talking about increasing funding for Ukrainian soldiers.
“This is an unexpected signal, perhaps, but I was very frank today at the Coalition of the Willing. We must have a strong army. Of course, we must move towards a fully contract army. This is right,” Zelensky is convinced.
