Of Ukraine’s current $27 billion defence funding gap, $20 billion is still needed to maintain active combat operations, including in the first quarter of 2027.
Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said this while speaking to journalists.
“The defence funding gap for this year amounts to $27 billion, of which the government plans to cover around $7 billion through savings, optimisation and the reallocation of expenditures. These funds are intended, among other things, to ensure payments to military personnel and support for their families. The remaining $20 billion is the subject of negotiations with our partners. Our ability to conduct active combat operations, including in the first quarter of 2027, depends on this funding,” Koretskyi said.
He explained that the money is primarily needed to finance the production of weapons, particularly long-range capabilities that the military will be able to use this winter.
“This is our ability to bring the war back to where it came from. This is a critical need that must be met,” the Prime Minister stressed.
Koretskyi also explained how the funding gap emerged.
The total “cost” of the war this year is estimated at $155 billion — the figure presented to Ukraine’s partners by the then leadership of the Ministry of Defence during a Ramstein-format meeting in February 2026. It includes both budget funding and off-budget military and technical assistance provided by partners.
“Off-budget assistance includes missiles, equipment and other weapons that partners provide not in the form of money but as specific items. For example, this includes PAC-2 or PAC-3 missiles for Patriot systems, launchers, aircraft and so on,” Koretskyi said.
The $155 billion figure was subsequently included in the Financial Strategy document submitted by the government to the EU in March 2026 as part of discussions on obtaining the Ukraine Support Loan.
According to Koretskyi, the $27 billion represents expenditures that had been planned in advance but remain unfunded as of now.
