President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine and the European Union are discussing the possibility of bringing forward a portion of the funds from the second tranche of financial assistance, which are needed in particular to ensure payments to military personnel and procure drones.
Speaking with journalists after his address at the UN General Assembly, Zelenskyy noted that they had agreed to send their financial team to figure out how to cover part of the funding from the second tranche and bring the money forward because funds were needed for drones.
He noted that the funding issue was also linked to military salaries, explaining that the war was ongoing and the military was receiving pay.
According to him, in the first half of the year, a portion of the funds allocated for salaries had been directed toward purchasing drones, which was why that resource now needed to be replenished.
He explained that part of the salary budget had been used in the first half of the year and diverted to drones, meaning that resource now required replenishment.
He added that Ukraine and the EU were discussing potential funding solutions and saw ways out of the situation.
As reported, media outlets earlier spread claims by MP Mykhailo Tsymbaliuk that the Ministry of Defense under the leadership of Mykhailo Fedorov prematurely used a portion of the funds earmarked for the fourth quarter, which could lead to a shortage of funding for military salaries by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, the team of former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov later stated that the use of funds for drone procurement at the beginning of 2026 did not cause a funding shortage for military salaries, as those funds were compensated and returned to the budget in July following receipt of the first tranche of the European loan.
Additionally, Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara earlier stated during a meeting with journalists that there was a $27 billion defense funding deficit. According to him, the Ministry of Defense already had options to cover it, in particular by bringing forward a portion of the European loan earmarked for next year.
Khmara also noted that the department was working with countries that had not yet joined the relevant financial framework or could increase their contributions, adding that the Ministry of Defense had identified partners with whom it planned to hold separate talks to attract additional financing for specific defense needs.
Emphasizing that there was a defense funding deficit of $27 billion, the minister noted that the ministry already had solution options in place.
