Funding for Ukraine’s defense industry secured for this year — Yatsenyuk

The former Prime Minister of Ukraine (2014–2016) and head of the Kyiv Security Forum, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, shared this opinion.

“Today, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke about the need to finance Ukraine’s military industry. And the announced amount of funding — from $35 to even $40 billion, as he said — is, according to him, higher than last year. I want to verify those figures. But the entire amount is being covered by the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Canada — in other words, without the United States. We still see uncertainty from the American administration,” Yatsenyuk said.

He noted that, as of now, there is no additional funding coming from the United States, nor is there a clear discussion that it will definitely be provided.

“As of today, there is no additional funding from the United States. There is also no confirmed discussion that such support is guaranteed. But at least voices are starting to be heard in Washington saying that Ukraine must be helped — something we didn’t see a few months ago. Still, we must proceed from the reality that the EU, Canada, and the UK have taken on the lion’s share of funding. And as of now, funding for this year has been secured,” the Kyiv Security Forum chair added.

• On June 23, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the final declaration of the NATO summit — to be held in The Hague on June 24–25 — will include important language regarding Ukraine.
• The NATO summit in The Hague kicked off on Tuesday, June 24, bringing together leaders from all 32 member countries of the Alliance, as well as partners.