Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it will cost $120 billion to fund the war against Russia next year, and Kiev will need $60 billion from foreign backers. Ukraine’s Western backers have sent Kiev hundreds of billions in military and financial assistance since Russia invaded in 2022.
“The cost of this war as of now is a challenge for us. The price of one year is [USD] 120 billion. Sixty billion comes from the Ukrainian budget. And I need to find 60 [billion] for next year,” the Ukrainian leader said at a press conference with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
The US has sent Ukraine at least $175 billion in assistance since the outbreak of the conflict. According to the Kiel Institute, European countries have collectively provided about $250 billion.
President Donald Trump was critical of his predecessor’s policy of funding the war in Ukraine, and has not signed off on the large-scale military aid packages to Kiev that were common during the Joe Biden administration.
However, Trump has continued the policy of sending weapons to Ukraine. On Wednesday, the White House approved $1 billion in arms sales to Ukraine that will be funded by NATO. Members of the North Atlantic have so far pledged to buy $2 billion of arms for Ukraine from the US.
Zelensky told reporters that the packages will include advanced missiles. “We will definitely have Patriot and HIMARS missiles,” he said.
The current commitments from NATO are far short of what Zelensky said is needed to fund the conflict.
