KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine expects a further $12-$16 billion of financial support from foreign partners by the end of this year to help it deal with Russia’s invasion, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said on Tuesday.
He said in a statement that Ukraine had managed to maintain its financial stability thanks to external assistance, which had already accounted for $14 billion, but that Kyiv had had to direct over 40% of budget spending – over 420 billion hryvnias ($11.51 billion) – to military needs.
Shmygal said that 288 billion hryvnias had been spent on military salaries, and 135 billion on the purchase and repair of military equipment and the purchase of ammunition and defence products since Feb. 24.
($1 = 36.5000 hryvnias)
(Reporting by Natalia Zinets, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
