Ukraine needs at least €70 billion in European defense funding in 2027 — Zelenskyy
European Council President António Costa, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (photo: president.gov.ua)
Ukraine needs Europe to allocate at least 70 billion euros to its defense next year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a European Council meeting.
The head of state pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to spend increasingly large sums on the war against Ukraine, as reflected in Russia's federal budget for next year. Ukraine must counter Russia's moves.
"We know how to do this with the help of technology. It costs much less and helps stop its operations against Ukraine and against you. The war will cost 155 billion euros next year. And we need at least 70 billion euros more from you—for defense, for weapons, and for our resilience," the president told EU leaders.
He stressed that this amount was realistic. Zelenskyy also urged European leaders to find a way to provide this support so Ukraine could deter Russia.
Russia's defense spending in 2027
As previously reported, Russia plans to increase defense spending in 2027 by 27% over the previously budgeted amount. Moscow intends to allocate 17.1 trillion rubles (approximately 180 billion euros) for this purpose, a record high since the start of its full-scale war against Ukraine.
At the same time, Russia's budget faces mounting pressure from a funding shortfall and declining projected oil and gas revenues.
For 2026, the budget deficit forecast rose from 1.6% to 3.2% of GDP. To cover the shortfall, the authorities plan to increase borrowing and draw on the National Wealth Fund.
