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Zelensky says he plans cuts to government spending

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Zelensky says he plans cuts to government spending
Zelensky talks to reporters while meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in Dec. 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Dec. 19 told reporters he plans to reduce government expenditures because significant funding will be needed for fresh mobilization efforts.

“Today we are reducing government spending as much as possible. I am still working to reduce the government even more. But if there are no people there at all, it will be difficult for us to govern the state.”

A U.S. funding package scheduled for later this month will be the final one unless Congress approves additional help, the Biden administration warned Monday.

Washington is struggling to secure more aid for Ukraine, with an additional $61 billion intended for Kyiv currently bogged down in Congress. The U.S. has so far approved $113 billion in aid to Ukraine, including nearly $47 billion in direct military aid.

Ukraine risks a serious economic downturn in 2024 and unless its Western supporters can muster enough funds to fill a massive hole in its budget, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko told POLITICO in November.

Russian airstrikes on Ukraine's industrial enterprises have dismantled much of the country's export based economy.

US lawmakers will not reach deal in 2023 for more Ukraine aid
The United States Senate will not be voting on a deal this year to provide more aid to Ukraine, Reuters reported on Dec. 19.
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Lance Luo

Lance Luo (Li P. Luo) is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. Previously, he worked at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Hromadske Television in Kyiv. He also spent three years in finance and strategy consulting. Mr. Luo graduated from the University of Southern California and serves as an arbitrator at FINRA.

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