Ukrainian defence minister calls on NATO countries to allocate 0.25% of GDP for Ukraine's defence

Ukrainian Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal has publicly appealed to NATO partners to provide half of the funding needed for Ukraine's defence.

Source: Shmyhal at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (also known as the Ramstein format) meeting, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Shmyhal stressed that Ukraine needs the support of its partners to cover military needs during the war against Russian aggression.

Quote: "We estimate our [defence budget] needs for 2026 at US$120 billion. Ukraine will cover 60 billion of this amount, and we ask our partners to cover the rest."

Details: The minister emphasised that the simplest way to achieve this would be through a joint decision to allocate a small share of allied defence budgets to the needs of Ukraine's defence forces. "The most effective way is to allocate 0.25% of GDP for this," Shmyhal said.

"If this is not achievable for Europe and non-European partners, then the only way forward is a loan backed by frozen Russian assets," the minister added.

The meeting participants also highlighted the importance of the PURL (Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List) initiative, designed to procure American weapons with allied funding.

Background: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier stated that Ukraine will need to spend US$120 billion on the war in 2026.

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