Defence Forces funding shortfall stands at $27 billion, Defence Ministry has spent budgeted funds – Zelenskyy
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has already spent the funds budgeted through the end of 2026. The overall funding shortfall for the Defence Forces currently stands at USD 27 billion.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this while speaking to journalists following a Coalition of the Willing meeting, Censor.NET reports.
The reason for the shortfall
Zelenskyy acknowledged that there were funding "gaps" stemming from the way the budget was structured.
"Under the PURL programme and bilateral cooperation, we also need to close certain funding gaps stemming from the way the budget was structured. The Ministry of Defence has spent the funds budgeted through the end of this year, and the overall shortfall amounts to USD 27 billion," the President said.
Possible solutions to the problem
Zelenskyy believes that one of the main ways to address the problem is to bring forward part of the European loan financing scheduled for next year so that the funds become available now.
- At the same time, the President added that other means of securing defence funding should not be ruled out, including the use of frozen assets.
"One important aspect is accelerating the transfer of funds under the European Union’s financing plan. But, of course, we still need to implement other ideas on how to ensure a just defence in this war — a war that Russia started and continues to wage. Russian sovereign assets have already been frozen in Europe and in other countries around the world, including those of our partners, such as Japan and others. Wherever these assets are held, we must find a way to use them to defend against Russia’s war. Therefore, I believe these are the most important issues," Zelenskyy added.
