Ukraine’s defense minister promises clear war plan to unlock loans

Ukraine’s new defense minister, Yevgeny Hmara, says Kyiv will give its partners a detailed war plan as it seeks faster access to European funding and more military support.

Hmara said the plan would set out the tasks facing Ukraine’s defense forces, the projects needed to meet them, the results expected and the deadlines. “Ukraine will present its partners with a clear vision and a clear plan: what tasks the defense forces face, what projects are needed for this, what results must be achieved and within what time frames,” he said.

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Ukraine will present its partners with a clear vision and a clear plan: what tasks the defense forces face, what projects are needed for this, what results must be achieved and within what time frames.

The government is relying heavily on foreign financing to sustain its war effort. It is seeking to accelerate part of a 45 billion euro loan planned for next year, while lobbying allies for larger contributions and support from countries that have not yet provided assistance. The European Union has allocated 90 billion euros in financing through 2027, with 45 billion euros earmarked for each of 2026 and 2027.

The funding push comes as Ukraine confronts a 27 billion dollar military budget deficit. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week that Kyiv had spent more than expected during the first half of the year. Hmara also said Ukraine needed “proper decisions” to preserve lives and a clear understanding across its forces of how to fight and end the war.

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proper decisions

Hmara took over last month from Mykhailo Fedorov. His appointment followed rare wartime protests over Fedorov’s removal, which also led Zelenskyy to dismiss the unpopular army chief, Oleksander Syrsky. Hmara, a former special forces commander credited with leading Ukraine’s deep-strike campaign against Russia, said he shared a “common vision” with the new army chief, General Mykhailo Drapatyi.

Kyiv is trying to seize the initiative partly by increasing long-range drone attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, defense production and logistics. At the same time, Ukrainian forces face serious shortages of personnel and air defenses as they defend cities against Russian air attacks. Hmara added that Ukraine had tested four potential interceptors designed to shoot down the jet-powered drones Russia is increasingly using.

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common vision