The Power Within: The Kyiv Independent’s first-ever magazine. Be among the first to get it.

pre-order now
Skip to content
Edit post

Ukraine’s 2025 budget clears first reading, allocates $53 billion for defense

by Boldizsar Gyori October 31, 2024 4:33 PM 2 min read
Ukrainian troops fire rocket launcher systems from their positions in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine, on Nov. 7, 2023. (Ozge Elif Kizil/Anadolu via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Ukraine’s proposed 2025 budget passed its first reading in parliament on Oct. 31, allocating approximately 26% of the country’s GDP to defense and military spending.

“The priority of next year's budget will also be security and defense. All taxes paid by people and businesses will go toward strengthening our defenders and military capabilities,” Prime Minister Denys Smyhal said on his Telegram channel.

Military and defense spending will grow by Hr 46 billion ($1.6 billion) compared to 2024, reaching over Hr 2.2 trillion ($53.4 billion).

According to Shmyhal, state spending will increase by Hr 535 billion ($13 billion) to Hr 3.6 trillion ($87.4 billion), while revenues are expected to reach around Hr 2.7 billion ($65.5 million), up Hr 411 billion ($10 billion) from 2024.

“Not a single amendment to meet the needs of the military, and those who today especially need state support, was taken into account,” opposition lawmaker Dmytro Razumkov said, criticizing the document on his Telegram channel.

Following today’s discussions, the budget law will go through additional rounds of consideration before lawmakers hold a final vote, expected by Dec. 1.

Ukraine’s state budget has increasingly relied on external support, including war bonds, IFI loans, and bilateral loans and grants, as the country’s war-torn economy falters.

A widening annual budget deficit, reaching 20.6% in 2023, led Ukrainian lawmakers to approve a tax hike in September—the first since the full-scale war began—a politically unpopular move as the country seeks new sources of funding for its expanding wartime budget.

Ukraine faces a $35 billion budget deficit next year, and with Russia’s war continuing into its third year with no end in sight, the country must secure funding to sustain its economy and finance the war effort.

Kharkiv’s historic Derzhprom skyscraper becomes latest victim of Russian bombardments
Late on Oct. 28, an explosion rang out in the center of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. Situated just over 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Russian border, loud explosions have become part of daily life in Kharkiv as Russia continues to attack the city with drones, missiles, and aerial

News Feed

7:21 PM  (Updated: )

Trump says 'nobody is asking' Ukraine to recognize Crimea as Russian.

"Nobody is asking (President Volodymyr) Zelensky to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory, but if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?" U.S. President Donald Trump wrote.
8:06 AM  (Updated: )

Zelensky visits South Africa but cuts trip short after mass Russian strike.

"We count on South Africa’s meaningful participation in the International Coalition for the return of thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. We will also certainly strengthen our cultural and educational ties," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
5:30 AM

Trump says he may meet Putin 'shortly' after May Middle East visit.

Despite ongoing ceasefire negotiations, Trump and Putin have yet to have direct contact, communicating only through their officials. Trump's last in-person encounter with his Russian counterpart was during the 2018 Helsinki Summit during the U.S. president's first term.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.