Petro Poroshenko and members of parliament from the European Solidarity faction are initiating amendments to the 2026 State Budget.
As Poroshenko stated at a briefing, they are demanding the return of UAH 40 billion to the Ministry of Defense for weapons procurement, and that the use of the Reserve Fund be limited to addressing the consequences of war and emergencies. European Solidarity also calls for a final reduction in non-targeted spending, an increase in military pay, and a pay increase for security agencies, limited to front-line units.
“A narrow window of opportunity for peace is now open. The country has never had such an opportunity to end a war as it does now. This is due to the resilience and increased capacity of the armed forces, including unmanned aerial systems and diplomatic strikes. The Russians have finally felt what the Ukrainians are experiencing. This is a new format of diplomacy, drone diplomacy. And the best diplomat is the Ukrainian Armed Forces. And for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to be able to beat the enemy and secure a negotiating position, money is needed,” Poroshenko notes.
He noted that the government’s idea to withdraw 40 billion hryvnias from the Ministry of Defense’s budget and place them in the Reserve Fund is outrageous and shocking. “Our bill demands that the Ministry of Defense be kept in its custody and that the 40 billion hryvnias, which had already been allocated for the purchase of various types of weapons, be retained by the Ministry of Defense. The Reserve Fund—another requirement of our amendments—must strictly meet the criteria that the government can only use funds to address the consequences of war and emergency situations. Reserve Fund funds cannot be used for any other purpose,” the fifth President noted.
He also recalled Zelenskyy’s unfulfilled government order to increase pay for Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers performing combat missions directly on the front lines from 250,000 to 400,000 hryvnias. “There was not a single kopeck change in pay. This is what our service members are so eagerly awaiting,” Poroshenko said. He also called for funds from the military tax levy to be directed exclusively to a special fund for security and defense needs. Poroshenko called for addressing defense industry issues and allowing the export of defense technology in areas where the state is unable to purchase the relevant technology for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He also called for an appropriate export duty to be imposed on this export, which would also be used for the purchase of weapons.
“We’ve found another 7 billion hryvnias, which should also be used for salaries and actual expenses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Nobody needs 1 billion hryvnias for a propaganda telethon; why should Ukrainian taxpayers fund it? 4 billion hryvnias is for the ‘Thousandth’ program. We demand that this be spent on drones, electronic warfare, transport, equipment, deep strikes, and air defense,” the party leader insisted.
European Solidarity also insists on increasing the share of military income tax that will go directly to brigades’ accounts to 20%: “If military personnel pay this tax, our demand is that the funds they pay be left to the brigades. The brigades will spend the funds themselves, which saves time because they will be able to immediately purchase everything from spare parts to fuel for their equipment, from repairs to consumables, within a week.”
Poroshenko noted that despite the massive shelling of Kyiv, the authorities are effectively denying the capital funding: “Among the sustainability plan programs, funds are being allocated in a completely non-transparent manner for the de facto social economy, and not a single kopeck is being allocated to Kyiv. Putin is directing the lion’s share of missiles at Kyiv, destroying critical infrastructure. And there are no plans to allocate any funds. We intend to immediately end this injustice.”
“All these amendments share a very simple logic: more money for the army. Ensure the armament of Ukraine’s armed forces. This will be fair. And, ultimately, it will ensure the preservation of Ukraine and the peace the Ukrainian people so dream of,” says Petro Poroshenko.
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