Ukraine’s new defence minister seeks earlier EU funding as military shortfall widens
Ukraine’s new defence minister, Yevhenii Khmara, has pledged to present the country’s international partners with a detailed plan for prosecuting the war against Russia as Kyiv seeks to bring forward part of a European Union loan to cover a US$27 billion military funding gap.
Khmara said Ukraine would seek early access to part of the €45 billion tranche planned for 2027, while also pressing existing allies to increase their contributions and approaching countries that have not previously provided financial support.
“Ukraine will present partners with a clear vision and a clear plan: what tasks the Defence Forces face, what projects are needed for this, what results must be achieved, and within what time frames,” he told reporters in comments released on Sunday.
The EU has agreed to make €90 billion available to Ukraine for 2026 and 2027 through a support loan covering budgetary and defence needs. The package is divided broadly between general budget support and defence-related spending, including investment in Ukraine’s defence industry and military procurement.
The European Commission has already begun releasing funds. It announced a first €3.2 billion instalment of macro-financial assistance in June and a further €3.47 billion defence-related payment in July. The 2026 allocation includes up to €28.3 billion for Ukraine’s defence industrial capacity and €16.7 billion in budget support.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this month that defence spending during the first half of 2026 had been significantly higher than expected, creating an urgent need to find additional financing. He has argued that maintaining the pace of Ukraine’s long-range strikes is essential to putting pressure on Russia.
Khmara, who was appointed defence minister on 19 August after briefly serving as acting minister, took over following the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov. His appointment was approved by Ukraine’s parliament with 312 votes. The reshuffle also brought a new military leadership team, including Mykhailo Drapatyi as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces.
A former commander in Ukraine’s Alpha special operations unit, Khmara has been associated with the country’s campaign of long-range strikes against Russian oil infrastructure, defence plants and logistics hubs. He said he and Drapatyi shared a common view of how the war should be conducted.
“This vision must be communicated down the chain to commanders and units carrying out missions at the front every day,” Khmara said, adding that decisions were needed to preserve the lives of Ukrainian personnel and provide greater clarity across the armed forces.
Alongside the funding appeal, Khmara has identified air defence as a priority. Ukraine is facing shortages of both personnel and interceptors as Russia intensifies attacks on Ukrainian cities with missiles and drones.
He said Ukraine had field-tested four potential interceptor systems designed to destroy the faster, jet-powered drones that Russia has increasingly deployed. The systems are intended to provide a cheaper and more scalable response to large waves of attacks, with Ukrainian officials seeking to move from testing to mass production.
The need has become more pressing as Russian strikes have disrupted daily life in Kyiv and other cities. Swarms of high-speed drones have struck residential areas, warehouses and other infrastructure, while Ukrainian authorities have warned that the growing volume and speed of attacks are placing heavy demands on existing air-defence systems.
At a meeting on defence financing this month, Zelenskyy also called for the development of new defensive weapons, including rocket-powered interceptors. He has instructed the Defence Ministry to audit agreements with international partners, assess what has been delivered and identify outstanding commitments, with air defence and anti-ballistic capabilities regarded as especially urgent ahead of winter.
Ukraine remains heavily dependent on external financing to sustain its war effort. Khmara’s proposed plan is intended to persuade partners that additional resources would be tied to defined military tasks, measurable results and a timetable for their delivery.
