Ukrainian finance minister states country has gone over budget for its army
(MENAFN) Ukraine is facing a significant funding gap for its military and will need to revise its 2025 budget to address the shortfall, Finance Minister Sergey Marchenko has revealed. Speaking to lawmakers on Thursday, Marchenko explained that current military financing is inadequate due to multiple factors, including shifting Western aid levels and unexpected developments on the battlefield.
According to Ukrainian MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak, the defense budget underestimated the evolving needs driven by changing military technologies, fluctuating arms deliveries, and intensified combat operations. Marchenko admitted the government could not have accurately predicted the 2025 wartime conditions when the budget was drafted in late 2024.
“You can’t model this situation in a linear way,” he said. “Sometimes complex, asymmetric solutions are required.”
Zhelezniak initially estimated the budget gap at 200 billion hryvnia (about $4.8 billion) but later revised it to between 400 and 500 billion hryvnia ($9.6–12 billion). Reports from April indicated that funds allocated for military salaries in late 2025 had already been redirected toward purchasing drones, ammunition, and other equipment.
Ukraine has previously addressed deficits through tax hikes in 2023 and 2024, but this time the government plans to rely on increased domestic borrowing and stronger-than-expected tax revenue instead.
Ukraine’s economy remains heavily reliant on Western aid. By February 2025, European countries had provided $138 billion in assistance, while the US contributed $115 billion. Officials acknowledge that Ukraine will likely not be able to repay this support for at least three decades.
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously commented that Ukraine would collapse within a week if Western financial and military assistance ceased.
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