Kyiv will spend more than 60 per cent of its entire state budget on defence and security next year, according to a draft plan, as Russia鈥檚 invasion grinds on.
Moscow鈥檚 war has battered the Ukrainian economy over the last two and a half years, causing tens of billions of dollars in destruction, punching a huge hole in state finances and forcing Kyiv to rely on Western support to keep itself afloat.
In a draft plan presented by the finance ministry, Ukraine said it will spend 2.22 trillion hryvnia ($54 billion) on 鈥榥ational security and defence鈥� in 2025.
That represents around 26 per cent of Ukraine鈥檚 GDP and 61 per cent of the government鈥檚 overall outlays, planned at 3.64 trillion hryvnia.
鈥業 can confidently say that based on the budget plan for 2025, Ukraine鈥檚 defence will be ensured,鈥� Ukraine鈥檚 finance minister Sergiy Marchenko told reporters Tuesday.
By comparison, Russia plans to spend 10.8 trillion rubles ($115 billion) on defence this year, or about 30 per cent of its budget.
In Ukraine, around 740 billion hryvnia would go on weapons production and procurement, with almost 1.2 trillion on soldiers鈥� salaries.
Marchenko warned Ukraine faces 鈥榬ather slow economic growth due to the impact of attacks on energy infrastructure,鈥� predicting GDP would expand by 2.7 per cent next year.
Kyiv last week upped its planned defence spending for 2024 by almost one-third amid mounting war costs.
The 2025 defence budget is set to be just two per cent higher than the revised 2024 figure.
Ukraine said it will need $38.4 billion in financial support from its Western backers and international financial organisations, slightly down on this year鈥檚 requirements.
The war-torn country has received $98 billion in international financial aid since Russia invaded in February 2022 鈥� on top of tens of billions in military and humanitarian aid.
鈥楾his is perhaps the most important area 鈥� to ensure rhythmic and full funding from our partners,鈥� Marchenko said.
Meanwhile, Russian strikes killed three people and wounded at least 24 in the northeast Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Tuesday afternoon, president Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The northeastern city lies around 30 kilometres from the Russian border and has been pounded by Russian aerial attacks throughout the two-and-a-half-year war.
鈥楾he targets of the Russian bombs were an apartment building, a bakery, a stadium. In other words, the everyday life of ordinary people,鈥� Zelensky said in a post on social media.
He posted a picture showing the facade of a nine-storey apartment block partially ripped off, the windows blown out and debris strewn across the street.
A search and rescue operation was underway, he added.
鈥楽o far, we know of 3 killed and 24 injured,鈥� he said.
Zelensky, who is in the United States this week for the latest round of international diplomacy on the war, called for the United Nations General Assembly to discuss Russia鈥檚 attacks on his country.
鈥榃e just need to stop the terror. To have security. To have a future. We need Russia to end this criminal and unprovoked aggression that violates all global rules,鈥� he said.