2023 Budget: Zelenskyy says over $27 billion to be allocated for security and defence
ALONA MAZURENKO – WEDNESDAY, 7 SEPTEMBER 2022, 23:51
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that over one trillion hryvnias (approximately $27 billion) will be allocated for security and defence in next year’s budget.
Source: President Zelenskyy’s video address
Quote from Zelenskyy: "I’ve held a meeting with the head of the government [the Prime Minister], the Minister of Finance and the relevant deputy head of the Office [of the President] regarding next year’s draft budget. It is clear that it will be the budget of a country at war. Government officials will outline key features of the draft, but I will now mention some important points, in particular, points that are important from the political point of view.
First point: More than one trillion hryvnias will be allocated to the security and defence sector next year. This will be our topmost priority.
Second point: Social payments must be made in full. […]
Third point: To withstand this period and ensure [Ukraine’s] financial and social stability, it is necessary to reduce all non-critical state expenses as much as possible, meaning all expenses that do not contribute to [Ukraine’s] defence, to [its] economic development, to social [security] and cultural [enrichment] of our people. The government must therefore come up with a plan to reduce expenditures on state enterprises, [state] apparatus, and [state] institutions that do not meet the needs of the present time. I am waiting for government officials to offer various options [to achieve these objectives]."
Details: Zelenskyy’s fourth point was the intensification of economic relations, and fifth was the establishment of a special recovery fund. He said that confiscated Russian assets will be used to contribute to this fund.
Zelenskyy hopes that the draft budget will be submitted to Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) for approval in due course.
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