FX.co ★ Ukraine Plans 2026 Budget with 18.4% Deficit

The Ukrainian government has drafted the 2026 budget, aiming for a deficit of 18.4% of GDP with a substantial increase in defense funding, according to Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. The draft outlines revenues of 2.8 trillion hryvnias (around $67 billion) alongside expenditures nearing 4.8 trillion hryvnias, Svyrydenko shared in a Telegram app post, as covered by Reuters. She highlighted plans to boost state revenues by about 447 billion hryvnias in the coming year, though specific strategies for this increase were not disclosed. A significant portion of the revenue will be dedicated to defense spending, which is projected to increase by 168.6 billion hryvnias, reaching approximately 2.8 trillion hryvnias, or 27.2% of GDP, by 2026. Additionally, the Finance Ministry indicated that the draft budget plans for foreign financing worth about 2.1 trillion hryvnias ($50 billion) for the upcoming year.