PM: Ukraine would face difficulties paying pensions, salaries without financial support from Western partners

According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, defense accounts for around 60% of Ukraine's state expenditures, making Western financial aid critical in supporting other needs. “Ukraine’s financial stability is as important as military security or the supply of ammunition,” Shmyhal told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Currently, 3 billion of the 9 billion euros allocated to Ukraine by the EU are blocked, as Germany wants to allocate funds in the form of grants, not loans.