Ukraine is seeking an additional $20 billion from its allies to bolster its temporary battlefield advantage over Russia, a senior Ukrainian defense official told Politico.
“Everybody sees that Russia is burning, and we want it to burn even more, but we need funding to do it,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The $20 billion request will be presented on June 18 at the next meeting of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine, also known as the Ramstein Format, under which the allies coordinate financial and military aid to Kiev.
The topic was discussed by Mihailo Fedorov, Ukraine's defense minister, and other government officials during a series of meetings with representatives of Norway, Sweden, Germany and Canada, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Ukraine spends 40% of its GDP on defense
The Ukrainian defense official told Reuters that each ally would be asked to contribute between $2 billion and $6 billion toward the $20 billion goal. “It can be financial aid or a loan,” he explained.
Support for Ukraine is expected to be one of the main themes of July's NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, which will also be attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukraine's defense budget for this year is set at 4.4 trillion hryvnias (85 billion euros), and the requested $20 billion would add to that amount.
Ukraine allocates about 40% of its Gross Domestic Product to defense, the highest level in the world.
According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, partner countries have already committed to providing $38 billion in military assistance in 2026. The additional $20 billion would bring Ukraine closer to the goal of $60 billion in bilateral assistance requested by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
What Ukraine wants to do with the additional money it is asking for from its European partners
If the additional $20 billion materializes, Ukraine plans to use the funds for air defense systems, to increase contributions to the Ukraine Priority List, the NATO-coordinated program through which allies buy arms for Ukraine from the United States, as well as to purchase more drones, munitions, electronic warfare equipment, long-range capabilities, and direct purchases from Ukrainian defense industry companies.
The purpose is to use the funds to continue Ukraine's increasingly devastating attacks against Russia.
Kiev has stepped up its development of drone and missile-based technologies and in recent months has launched a multi-tiered campaign of attacks – from short-range drones that have turned the frontline into a virtually inaccessible zone, to medium-range drones that hit Russia's logistics and transport networks hard.
They have increasingly caused fuel and supply shortages, and drone and missile attacks deep inside Russia have targeted factories, oil refineries, ports and other strategic targets.
