Ukrainian premier says ‘more than half’ of 2024 state budget spent on defense

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Tuesday said that "more than half" of his country's state budget for the past year was spent on defense.

"This year, more than half of state budget expenditures were directed towards defense. Literally, every hryvnia collected within the country," Shmyhal said in his address at a government meeting, the excerpt of which he shared on Telegram.

Expressing that the investments of the state and the private sector have increased the capabilities of Ukraine's defense industry six-fold, Shmyhal said more than 800 state and private companies operate in the country's defense sector.

Shmyhal said that more than 1,000 types of weapons and equipment have been approved for operation, of which half of them are domestically produced.

"In the drone sector, domestic production accounts for over 96% of output. Through the Army of Drones project, more than 1.2 million drones have been procured," the prime minister further said.

About financial stability, he said all priority expenditures in the country are fully funded, declaring that $41.7 billion in international aid has been attracted from Kyiv's partners.