Rada takes draft state budget for further work

On Friday, the Verkhovna Rada heard the government’s proposal for Ukraine’s 2026 state budget (No. 14000) and began working on it. The opposition’s proposal to reject the draft received only 22 votes, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reports.

Head of the Budget Committee Roksolana Pidlasa and Speaker of the Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk called on MPs to submit their proposals to the Budget Committee by October 1, after which they will be processed and submitted to the government for their consideration or reasoned rejection.

Pidlasa requested that amendments be limited to increasing expenditures. She recalled that, during a similar procedure last year, MPs proposed additional expenditures of more than UAH 5 trillion. This exceeds the Cabinet of Ministers’ record proposal of UAH 4.8 trillion for next year.

In her opinion, the government has prepared a project with realistic revenues totaling UAH 2.8 trillion, which is UAH 452 billion more than in 2025. This increase is due to a rise in the minimum wage from UAH 8,000 to UAH 8,647, as well as a projected growth in real GDP of 2.4%.

“The main priority remains national security and defense. More than a third of the UAH 2.8 trillion budget is allocated for the purchase and production of weapons,” Pidlasa noted.

She also reminded that Ukraine’s total defense needs for 2026 are estimated at $120 billion, compared to $180 billion this year. Of this amount, $60 billion comes from the state budget, and $60 billion comes in the form of weapons and ammunition from international partners.

The head of the Budget Committee added that Ukraine will also need $45.5 billion in international support next year to finance all non-military expenditures.

The main complaints voiced about the draft state budget were the underestimation of defense spending and the lack of budget savings. Some MPs also complained of insufficient attention to social needs, especially those of internally displaced persons, as well as an increase in the debt burden to over 100% of GDP.

As reported, the government submitted the draft state budget for 2026 to the Rada on the night of September 16, when the deadline for its submission was running out. The budget includes expenditures of UAH 4.8 trillion (UAH 415 billion more compared to the state budget for 2025) and revenues of UAH 2.83 trillion (UAH 446.8 billion more); and its deficit is estimated at 18.4% of GDP (3.9 percentage points less versus 2025). Some UAH 2.8 trillion (27.2% of GDP) (UAH 168.6 billion more) is allocated for defense.