Kiev wants $120 billion for protection

Ukraine will need at least $120 billion for its defence in 2026, as the war with Russia enters its fourth year, Defence Minister Danies Schmyhal said on Saturday.

Shmyhal stressed that funding was essential to maintaining defence lines, producing more fears and other weapons to protect the sky and prevent any further Russian aggression.

The economics of war indicates that if we spend less before Russia, then we start paying with our territories and, most importantly, with our lives”, Schmyhal said at an annual conference in Kiev, they write foreign media, states Telegrafi.

Ukraine's defence expenses rose significantly after Russia's invasion in February 2022, and now it spends more than 31% of its gross domestic product on its army.

Roxolana Pedlasa, head of the parliamentary budget commission, said war costs continued to rise.

She pointed out that in 2025, one day of war cost $172 million compared to about $140 million in 2024.

This included soldiers ' wages, weapons, and fees for those injured or killed on the battlefield, she suggested.

So, we need to raise funds for all necessary resources, all necessary money”.

While no details have been specified on additional sources of funding, Ukrainian government officials have called on allies to find ways to use Russian frozen assets to help Kiev's finances.

The fight with Russia is “nxhur” in recent months, with fierce fighting taking place along more than 1,000km of frontline, and Russian troops increasing their air strikes in Ukrainian towns and cities far away from it.

Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to end the war have not yet produced tangible results.

In recent days, tensions reached a new level as NATO warplanes rose to bring down some Russian fears that violated Polish airspace Wednesday.

Until any diplomatic solution is reached, we will have to continue to fight. And to continue the war, we need money. And defence has a huge financial cost”, Pidlasa said. /Periscope/