Ukraine seeks $120 billion for defense in 2026

(Patria) - Ukraine will need at least $120 billion for defense in 2026, as the war with Russia enters its fourth year, Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Saturday, Reuters reported.

Shmyhal said the funding is necessary to maintain defensive lines, produce more drones and other weapons, protect the skies, and deter any further Russian aggression.

"The war economy shows that if we spend less money than Russia, we start paying with our territories and, most importantly, with our lives," Shmyhal said at an annual conference in Kyiv.

Ukrainian defense spending has increased since the Russian invasion in February 2022, and it now spends more than 31 percent of its gross domestic product on its military. This year's state budget plans at least $63 billion for defense expenditures, plus in-kind weapons from Kyiv's Western allies.
Roksolana Pidlasa, head of the parliamentary budget committee, said the costs of the war continue to rise.

She said that in 2025, one day of war cost $172 million compared to about $140 million in 2024. This included soldiers' salaries, weapons, and payments to those wounded or killed on the battlefield, she said.

"So, we must gather all necessary sources, all the necessary money."

Although no details were provided on additional sources of funding, Ukrainian government officials have appealed to allies to find ways to use frozen Russian assets to help Kyiv financially.

The war with Russia has intensified in recent months, with fierce fighting raging along more than 1,000 kilometers of the front line and Russian troops stepping up their air strikes on Ukrainian cities and towns far behind the front line.

Diplomatic efforts to end the war have yet to yield tangible results.
This week, tensions reached a new level as NATO fighter jets on Wednesday attempted to shoot down several Russian drones that violated Polish airspace.

"Until any diplomatic solution is reached, we will have to continue fighting. And to continue fighting, we need money. And defense has enormous financial costs," Pidlasa said.