Ukraine's finance minister has warned that the country may have to cut non-military spending unless it can secure funding from its allies, as he urged European ministers to “think outside the box” as Kyiv faces another winter of Russian escalation.
Sergii Marchenko, who has overseen the country's finances since 2020, told Euronews Ukraine had not faced such a tight budget situation since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
With the focus on military spending and weapons procurement, other areas of the budget could be affected and disbursements delayed unless a solution is found.
“We already see some liquidity issues, and we envisage some shortages in our budget,” he told Europe Today. “It means we may have to postpone some payments not related to the war because of a lack of liquidity. There will be consequences.”
Asked whether this could affect external creditors, Marchenko said it would not.
