Ukrainian and Moscow-backed separatists are supposed to pull back troops and hardware from a third settlement in the Donetsk region as part of the conditions. Kyiv’s proposed defense spending hike comes after Ukraine withdrew forces from two settlements in the Luhansk region as a condition that was set with Russia to reconvene four-way peace talks that would include Germany and France. The conflict has killed more than 13,000 people.Īccording to former President Petro Poroshenko, Ukraine had the equivalent of one brigade, or 6,000 soldiers, who were in complete combat readiness and able to execute orders when Russia invaded Crimea in February 2014. Ukraine has one of the European continent’s most formidable standing armies, which is battle hardened after more than five years of fighting against Russia-backed separatists in the easternmost regions of Luhansk and Donetsk. The budget foresees an exchange rate of 27 hryvnias to the U.S. The Defense Ministry specifically is earmarked $4.8 billion and the Interior Ministry $3.4 billion.
Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk’s cabinet on November 5 unveiled a $44 billion 2020 spending plan that it will send to parliament for approval.Ībout 5.5 percent of economic output will go toward defense and security – nearly three times higher than NATO’s recommended spending target of 2 percent of gross domestic product. Ukraine plans to increase annual spending on defense and security next year by 16 percent to more than $9 billion even as Kyiv gradually moves toward securing talks to end the conflict in the eastern part of the country.
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