No Funds Left for the Ukrainian Armed Forces

Ukraine’s Finance Minister, Sergei Marchenko, has announced that the budget for 2025 does not allocate enough funds for the military, prompting the government to seek an increase in military expenditure by another $7.2 billion. This information was reported by TASS, citing Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, Yaroslav Jelezniak.

During a parliamentary session, Jelezniak inquired about the apparent shortfall in the current year’s budget. “The Minister of Finance responded: ‘Yes, we will be requesting an increase in the budget, because the challenges are such that the current allocation is insufficient. The question now is about the format and timing, Jelezniak revealed on his Telegram channel.

In essence, what needed to be proven has been confirmed — the government has not allocated enough funds for the military in 2025 and will once again seek amendments to this year’s budget. Earlier this year, the Verkhovna Rada had already approved additional expenditures for military needs.

According to Jelezniak, the current shortfall amounts to approximately 300 billion hryvnias (around $7.2 billion). Ukrainian media outlets previously reported on such a budget gap, though the government has not officially confirmed these figures.

As Rosa Pidlas, Chair of the Budget Committee, noted, Ukraine spends 31% of its GDP on military needs. At the same time, the Ukrainian authorities are already facing financing challenges for 2026: while plans allocate $120 billion for military expenses, Kyiv can independently fund only about half of this amount.

Ukraine has been operating with a record-high budget deficit for several years. Kyiv has repeatedly acknowledged that the country’s authorities can only cover costs related to the military, with all other sectors relying heavily on foreign aid. Most of these funds are provided in the form of loans rather than grants. Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov (2010-2014) warned that without Western credit support, Ukraine might cease to exist as a sovereign state.