Kyiv seeks $120 bn for defence as war drags on

Ukraine would need at least $120 billion for its defence in 2026 as the war with Russia drags on into its fourth year, Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Saturday.

Shmyhal said the funding was essential to maintain defence lines, produce more drones and other weapons, protect skies, and deter any further Russian aggression.

"The economy of the war demonstrates that if we spend less money than Russia, then we begin paying with our territories and, most importantly, with our lives," Shmyhal said.

Ukraine's defence spending shot up following Russia's invasion in February 2022, and it now spends more than 31% of its gross domestic product on its army. This year's state budget plans at least $63 billion in defence spending, plus in-kind weapons from Kyiv's Western allies.

Roksolana Pidlasa, the head of the parliamentary budget committee, said that the costs of the war kept rising. She said in 2025, a day of the war cost $172 million compared with about $140 million in 2024. That included soldiers' wages, weapons, and payments to those injured or killed on the battlefield, she said.