Zelenskiy’s administration indicated in May that it would evaluate potential strategies to enhance military recruitment numbers after negotiations to resolve the conflict with Russia stalled.
”We reached an agreement on enhancing the financial stability of our defense and further evolving the Ukrainian army,” Zelenskiy stated in his daily briefing after discussions with key cabinet members.
”The cabinet will sanction a specific mechanism, and the government aims to initiate the new payments as soon as June,” he continued.
INCREASE IN DEFENSE EXPENDITURES
Ukraine has secured a €90 billion loan from the European Union, empowering the government to elevate defense spending to a historic 4.4 trillion hryvnias ($97 billion) for this year. The funds are expected to start disbursing this month.
On Friday, Zelenskiy revealed that the government plans to increase the basic military wage by one-third to 30,000 hryvnias ($700).
This measure is intended to align with the country’s average monthly salary, which has been rising steadily amidst the war due to workforce shortages, according to military analysts and economists.
Infantry soldiers engaged on the frontline will now earn an average monthly wage of 300,000 hryvnias (around $7,000), an increase from the current range of 100,000 to 150,000 hryvnias.
They will also have the option to sign a new type of fixed-term contract for 10, 14, or 24 months for combat roles.
Kyiv is also looking to recruit additional foreign fighters.
”I have directed that significantly more opportunities be made available to enlist foreign volunteers into the Ukrainian army, and there will be additional recruitment channels accordingly,” Zelenskiy mentioned.
Since the onset of the war, approximately 10,000 foreign volunteers have joined the Ukrainian military from over 70 nations, as reported by Ukrainian military publications.
(Edited by : Srabastee Biswas)
