President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned in Kyiv that Ukraine’s more than €23 billion budget gap could threaten financing for urgently needed drone purchases. He linked the shortfall to military procurement pressure and urged faster European Union payments from the €90 billion loan package agreed earlier this year.
Zelenskyy said that if drones are not ordered and paid for in October and November, Ukraine could face serious difficulties in January and February. He put a little more than one-third of the funding gap at drone purchases for the first three months of 2027, underlining the strain on military planning and cash flow.
The financing issue comes as drones remain central to Ukraine’s battlefield operations, including strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. Zelenskyy also pressed the European Commission to accelerate the next disbursements from the loan package, which is intended to support Ukraine’s budget and defence needs through 2026 and 2027.