By Dan Peleschuk
KYIV, – Ukraine’s new defence minister said he would outline a “clear vision” for Kyiv’s partners of how his country plans to fight Russia, as the government tries to bring forward part of a European Union loan to help cover a $27 billion military budget deficit.
In comments to reporters released on Sunday, Yevhenii Khmara said Kyiv would seek to bring forward part of the €45 billion loan planned for next year, as well as lobby allies for greater contributions and new countries that had not yet given. The EU has earmarked €45 billion each for 2026 and 2027, allowing Ukraine to channel record funds toward defence. Khmara took over as defence minister last month from Mykhailo Fedorov, whose dismissal sparked rare wartime protests that prompted Zelenskiy to also fire his unpopular military chief. He pledged to be receptive to front-line troops and commanders. Kyiv is seeking to seize the initiative from Moscow, partly by stepping up long-range drone strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, defence manufacturing and logistics.
“Ukraine will present partners with a clear vision and a clear plan: what tasks the Defence Forces face, what projects are needed for this, what results must be achieved, and within what timeframes,” he said. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last week that Kyiv had spent more than expected in the first half of the year. A former special-forces commander who led Ukraine’s deep-strike campaign against Russia, Khmara said he shared a “common vision” with new top general Mykhailo Drapatyi. “It is the soldiers on the ground who best see what needs to change,” he said.
