President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine faces a $27 billion defense budget shortfall, calling for early disbursement of European loan funds.Zelensky made the remarks in a statement following a meeting with leaders of the Coalition of the Willing hosted in Kyiv, on Monday, Aug. 24, as Ukraine marked its 35th Independence Day. He said the Defense Ministry had used funds allocated for the end of the year earlier than planned because of the budget’s structure.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“We now have to operate under funding constraints,” Zelensky said, adding that “one of the main options is to provide funds from the European loan ahead of schedule, already this year.”Frozen Russian assetsZelensky said Ukraine must also pursue other ways to finance its defense against Russia’s invasion, pointing to frozen Russian assets held in partner countries, including Europe and Japan.“Wherever those assets are held, we need to find a fair way to use them to defend against Russia’s war,” Zelensky said.He also praised the Coalition of the Willing for bringing together countries prepared “not only to talk about security, but to act and build real security together.”Black Sea corridorIn a follow-up statement, Zelensky said Russia was attempting to disrupt Ukraine’s maritime corridor in the Black Sea, particularly by trying to impose a total blockade.“Three to four ships still enter and leave Odesa each day, despite Russian strikes on port infrastructure,” Zelensky said, adding that traffic through the corridor had been three to four times higher before Russia began attempting to block the route.