Ukraine faces $27 billion defense budget shortfall, seeks emergency funding from allies - PM
Ukraine faces a $27 billion shortfall in its defense budget as the cost of the war continues to rise, Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi said during an address to parliament.
Koretskyi said the government had already identified 70 billion hryvnias in domestic funds that would be redirected entirely to defense and was seeking emergency financing from international partners to cover the remaining gap.
The prime minister attributed the shortfall partly to the growing cost of what he described as an increasingly technological war, which requires greater spending.
He also said the Defense Ministry had used funds allocated for the second half of 2026 to cover expenses during the first half of the year, creating additional pressure on the defense budget.
Another factor, Koretskyi said, was that Ukraine's international partners had not fully met their commitments.
Kyiv is now asking its partners for emergency funding to help cover the defense shortfall while Ukraine continues to meet its own commitments, he said.
Koretskyi also announced strict spending restrictions on government funds not earmarked for defense, saying available resources would be redirected toward military needs.
He stressed, however, that the measures would not affect funding for social programs, including salaries and pensions.
Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara had previously cited the same $27 billion gap in Ukraine's defense financing.