How much will war cost Ukraine in 2026? Officials reveal estimate
Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi (photo: facebook.com/sergii.koretskyi.page)
This year, Ukraine will have to spend at least $155 billion on the war with Russia, Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said at a national telethon broadcast.
The head of government was asked how the $27 billion shortfall in Ukraine's defense budget had emerged.
"Let me explain: in February, there was a Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting—a fundamental meeting that determines and shapes the framework for expectations about the war and financial needs for the entire year. The meeting took place in February 2026. And Ukraine declared there the amount of funding needed to wage the war—$155 billion," Minister Koretskyi answered.
According to him, that is how much the war costs Ukraine when both budgetary and non-budgetary needs are taken into account, including direct military and logistical assistance from its partners.
He emphasized that this includes missiles for Patriots, launchers, aircraft—everything provided directly in the form of material assets rather than funds. As Koretskyi explained, all of this is valued at a total of $155 billion.
"Second, when we were preparing the package of documents called the Financial Strategy, which was necessary to obtain the Ukraine Support Loan—a €90 billion loan from European partners, divided into two parts over two years (2026–2027 – ed.)—we repeated in this strategy that, according to our estimates, the war costs $155 billion. So, $27 billion of that $155 billion is included in this amount," the prime minister stressed.
Earlier, media outlets reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had a tense meeting over financial assistance to Ukraine.
However, the Ukrainian leader later denied the report and explained what they had actually discussed with the European Commission president.
