The Ukrainian parliament will allocate more money to defense next year. According to government officials, about half of the budget is allocated to the defense sector, Reuters news agency reported.

The budget law, which must also be approved by Parliament a second time, sets budget revenues at 43.9 billion euros and expenditures at 85.3 billion euros, MP Jaroslaw Železnjak said via Telegram.

Given the budget deficit, according to Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko, it is important for the Ukrainian government to continue raising financial resources next year. This allows it to finance defense expenditures and social benefits for the population, with the aim of “bringing Ukraine closer to victory.”

Marchenko told Reuters last week that “fatigue” among donors was growing as the war with Russia continued, but he would continue to work with international partners to raise funds to plug the budget gap. Ukraine has already received nearly 32.1 billion euros in Western financial aid this year. In 2022, this amount reached 29.3 billion euros.

Sebas van Aert