Prime minister's briefing on budget deficit leaves Zelenskyy stunned
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and PM Serhii Koretskyi (Photo: Zelenskiy Official / Telegram)
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was stunned by the magnitude of Ukraine's budget deficit following a briefing by Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi, NV sister outlet Ukrainska Pravda (UP) wrote on Sept. 3.
The publication underscored that Verkhovna Rada opened its 16th parliamentary session on Sept. 1, with its legislative agenda and voting results speaking volumes: lawmakers immediately focused on bills serving as formal benchmarks for international financial assistance programs.
This dynamic illustrates Ukraine's most pressing structural problem — a massive budget shortfall, UP noted.
According to the article, Koretskyi delivered an unvarnished assessment of state finances to Zelenskyy. National Security and Defense Council members noted that the president was visibly shaken by the figures.
"So much so that he was placing calls directly from the meeting room to deputies responsible for voting on European and IMF-mandated legislation, shouting and dressing them down," the outlet reported.
Despite intense pressure from the Presidential Office, parliamentary leadership still failed to muster the required votes to pass the crucial draft laws.
The report highlighted this failure as a snapshot of the current state of governance, with the leadership entering the new political season with a strained Presidential Office, a fragmented parliament, and an unsettled Cabinet of Ministers.
Ukraine could secure up to $12.7 billion in international budget support through the end of 2026, though the disbursement of these funds is tied directly to benchmark legislation requiring parliamentary passage. These structural milestones fall under four core assistance frameworks: the Ukraine Facility, the Ukraine Support Loan, and cooperation programs with the IMF and the World Bank, Parliamentary Budget Committee Chair Roksolana Pidlasa stated on Aug. 27.
On Aug. 29, Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara reported that Ukraine now faces a defense funding deficit of $27 billion, though the ministry is reviewing options to resolve the gap.
On Sept. 1, Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi announced that "the government is implementing a strict austerity regime for all state expenditures not allocated to defense requirements."
On Sept. 2, Pidlasa reported that between January and August 2026, state budget revenues fell 33.1 billion UAH (almost $743M) short of target projections.
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