During wartime, a country always stands on three pillars: the front, the home front, and partners. If one weakens, the other two start to crack under double the weight. Therefore, the state budget of a warring country must be a unified plan for the strength of the front, the home front, and the international coalition.
Today, the front remains the most resilient part of the state, the first and last fortress. There is no room for self-deception there. The enemy does not read government reports or care about ratings, but immediately tests every decision for strength — with artillery, drones, and human lives.
The Korytsky government must finally shift the economy onto a wartime footing. We need a strategy that will help withstand a prolonged war. The government mentions an amount of nearly 4 trillion 885 billion hryvnias for the security and defense sector. The figure is indeed large. But wars are won by correctly identifying priorities within these numbers. What do we see in the budget proposal? Military personnel’s pay is frozen again.
Therefore, European Solidarity insists that there are additional funds in the budget. We have found at least 500 billion hryvnias that should be reallocated to the military. Where to get these 500 billion? We propose to cut corruption feeders and populist giveaways, reduce spending on officials, deputies, and rear security forces, and transparently use reserve funds for the needs of the Armed Forces. A commander should not wait months for basic equipment, and soldiers should not have to record videos after a combat sortie saying: “Help us raise money for drones.” A state collecting taxes from a military salary has no moral right to send that military person to fundraise for their own war.
The second pillar — the home front. This is where weapons are produced for the war, foreign currency is earned, taxes are paid, the wounded are treated, energy is restored, and people are kept in Ukraine. Russian strikes destroy industrial facilities, ports, logistics, and energy. People lose jobs, and the country loses foreign exchange earnings. And the main thing is — the state must ensure the people! Those in need of social protection, because the budget deficit gives no grounds for cutting pensions and social benefits!
Finally — about international allies. Ukraine’s need for external support for 2027 is 52,600,000,000 dollars. Trust is also a currency that can only be earned — through consistency, predictability, and keeping one’s word. European reforms today are not a section of foreign policy. They are part of the Ukrainian budget, part of our security, and part of the answer to whether we will have the resources to continue the fight.
We will not support a budget of populism and bureaucratic comfort that robs the army. But we are ready to professionally work together on a budget of strengthening and resilience. In 2027, Ukraine must uphold three lines: the front — by the strength of arms, the home front — by the strength of the economy, the alliance — by the strength of trust. Three lines. One budget. One goal — to endure and force Russia to stop the war.
