President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will need $120 billion to defend itself against Russia in 2026, warning that half of the sum still has to come from international partners.
“The price of this war is $120 billion a year. Sixty billion comes from our own budget, and I need to find another $60 billion,” Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv during a briefing with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola on Wednesday.
“I hope we will end this war. But in any case, we have two options: Plan A – end the war; Plan B – secure $120 billion. And this is a huge challenge,” he added.
The president also pointed to new US military materiel through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program. Allies have already committed more than $2 billion, and Zelensky expects the figure to reach $3.5-3.6 billion by October.
The first two $500 million packages will include missiles for Patriot air defense systems and HIMARS rocket launchers, he said.
The PURL mechanism allows Kyiv to decide what weapons it needs most from the United States, while NATO members cover the costs or supply items from their own stockpiles.
In July, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukraine’s defense needs in 2026 would total at least $120 billion, with Kyiv aiming to raise half from EU and NATO partners.
Speaking at a conference in Kyiv on Saturday, Sept. 14, he repeated the figure, saying that Ukraine needed at least $120 billion next year to fight Russia’s invasion and would need a similar amount to maintain its military, even if the war ended.
“I should say that if the war continues, we will need a minimum of $120 billion for the next year,” Shmyhal said.
Even if the war ended, Ukraine would need a similar amount just to keep its army in good form, “in case of secondary aggression from the Russian side,” he added.
Meanwhile, Russia has sharply increased its own defense spending. In the first half of 2025, Moscow’s military budget hit a record 8.5 trillion rubles (about $100 billion), according to German researcher Janis Kluge. That marks a 31% rise from 2024 and nearly triple the spending in the first year of the war.