MOSCOW, November 27. /TASS/. Demands to increase the size limit of the Ukrainian army from 600,000 to 800,000 troops are absurd and cannot be accepted by Russia, former US intelligence officer and ex-UN inspector Scott Ritter told TASS in an interview.

On November 25, the Financial Times reported, citing sources close to Vladimir Zelensky's office, that Ukraine had agreed to limit the size of its armed forces to 800,000 troops. Earlier, the Western media reported that Trump's plan for a Ukrainian settlement included reducing the size of the Ukrainian military to 600,000 troops.

"We do know, for instance, though, that the Ukrainians have upgraded their demands from a 600,000-strong military to an 800,000-strong military. This is a non-starter for Russia. The idea that Russia would allow Ukraine to maintain the largest land army in Europe, armed by NATO, after saying that this army is a European army designed to confront Russia, this is absurd. Russia, I believe, would never accept such a term," the expert noted.

He added that Ukraine should be interested in reaching a peace agreement soon because it is moving toward an inevitable military collapse. "And if they don't agree to a solution soon, the situation on the battlefield will make negotiations moot, as Russia appears to be on the cusp of achieving most, if not all, of their stated military objectives. So, I think the clock is running, time is running out for Ukraine, and Russia, I believe, will stick to its guns," Ritter emphasized.