Ukraine faces $27 billion defense funding gap as Khmara outlines options
Ukraine currently faces a $27 billion defense funding shortfall, but the Defense Ministry already has options for addressing it, Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara told reporters on Aug. 29.
On August 29, Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara addressed a $27 billion defense funding gap, presenting potential solutions to reporters. The first option Khmara suggested was to "bring forward part of the European loan" allocated for 2027. Additionally, the Defense Minister proposed collaborating with countries that have yet to join the European support initiative or could augment their contributions.
Khmara mentioned that the Defense Ministry has identified specific partners to approach separately to secure extra funding for particular defense needs. He emphasized that Ukraine would present its partners with a clear vision and plan, detailing the challenges faced by the Defense Forces, the necessary projects, the desired outcomes, and the timeline for achieving them.
On August 25, Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence member Serhiy Rakhmanin criticized former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, stating that he had exacerbated the ministry's financial predicament. Fedorov, summarizing his time as defense minister, explained that his team had inherited a budget-less ministry and risked diverting "year-end military pay funds into middle-strike, fiber-optic FPV drones, low-cost reconnaissance, ground robotic systems, interceptor drones, and deep-strike drones."
On August 9, Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi announced that the government, with the Finance Ministry leading the charge, was working to fulfill all Defense Forces expenditures by year-end.
Written by urgent.news from New Voice of Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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