Roksolana Pidlasa explained that Orban could not block the EU's €35 billion allocation to Ukraine. All that is needed to disburse the funds is a simple majority vote in the EU Council, not a unanimous decision.
EU envoys agree to provide Ukraine with €35 billion from frozen Russian assets. According to Prime Minister Shmyhal, the funds should be available by the end of 2024.
The head of the Budget Committee, Roksolana Pidlasa, explained the need to distribute the $50 billion loan from the EU and the US over two years. This is due to the one-time nature of the payment and the lack of new agreements for the future.
The draft state budget for 2025 is currently being reviewed for amendments. It provides for UAH 2.2 trillion for defense, including UAH 1.2 trillion for military salaries and UAH 737 billion for weapons. The vote in the Rada is scheduled for the end of November.
More than UAH 152 billion in revenues are expected from the draft law on tax increases. The main revenues will come from the bank tax and the tax on profits of financial companies, said the head of the Verkhovna Rada Budget Committee.
The draft State Budget 2025 provides UAH 43. 2 billion for the Road Fund, which contradicts the promises to allocate all additional excise taxes to defense. This drew criticism from MPs and members of the Budget Committee.
By the end of the year, a budget deficit of almost UAH 5 billion will be formed due to the use of funds intended for monetary support of the military for the purchase of weapons in the first quarter of 2024.
The parliamentarians discussed with IMF representatives the attraction of international assistance in the amount of $37 billion and more than 400 billion hryvnias for Ukraine's military campaign.
Head of the Parliamentary Budget Committee Pidlasa met with IMF representatives in Kyiv to discuss the economic situation in Ukraine and progress in implementing structural reforms under the IMF program.
Additional funds of UAH 720 billion can be raised from Ukraine's domestic resources to cover the needs of military mobilisation, as funds from international partners cannot be spent on the needs of the Armed Forces. Currently, no decision has been made on the number of mobilised or the source of funding has not yet been decided.
Ukraine expects to receive financial assistance from the EU as part of the EU's multi-annual budget, and negotiations on the first tranche may be finalized at the EU summit in January.