President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that an increase in military salaries is currently impossible due to a critical deficit in the state budget and a lack of guaranteed external funding. This is reported by Glavkom.
The head of state emphasized that payments at the front are already differentiated, but an increase requires additional funds that Ukraine currently does not have.
Military Salaries Depend on the Budget
According to Zelensky, the key limitation is the lack of confirmed $45-50 billion international assistance, which Ukraine hopes to receive next year.
The President underscored:
«Those on the front line receive more money, we understand this perfectly. However, increasing payments depends on the additional budget that Ukraine can attract».
The head of state explained that even the current financial plan is made with the consideration of seeking ways to cover the huge deficit. If these funds do not come in, it will be necessary to «find money for the existing military salary inside the budget itself», which will further deepen the crisis.
Budget Deficit and Possible Solutions
Zelensky separately noted that he is not opposed to increasing the defense budget, but this will automatically create a new hole in finances.
«This is an extremely complex task that cannot be solved simply by reallocating funds. Next year we will fight for the appropriate decisions with our partners», he added.
A list of key reasons why an increase is currently impossible:
-
the absence of confirmed funding of $45-50 billion;
-
risk of increasing the budget deficit;
-
the need to ensure current payments to all military personnel;
-
limited opportunities for reallocation within the budget.
Earlier, Zelensky signed the state budget for 2026.