Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukraine will postpone some spending commitments, including reconstruction work, because of delays in receiving aid from its foreign backers, Ukraine’s prime minister said Monday. The government will carry out these projects eventually, “but for now, all resources must be directed toward critical areas,” Prime Minister Sergiy Koretsky said on Telegram, listing defence and social welfare as priorities.
Russia’s four-and-a-half-year offensive has battered Ukraine’s economy, causing billions of dollars in destruction and punching a huge hole in its neighbour’s finances. The Ukrainian government said earlier this month it would seek an additional $53 billion in foreign aid next year, including from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, to make up for the shortfall. “The situation regarding public finances remains challenging,” Koretsky said.
“Some of the planned international funding has not yet arrived, partly because Ukraine has not managed to fulfil certain commitments made to international partners on time,” he added. “We are deferring non-priority expenditures. This applies to new construction, reconstruction, or major repairs that are not critically important, as well as public realm improvements such as parks, public squares, fountains, or the re-laying of paving stones,” he said.
Earlier this month, the Ukrainian government announced it planned to spend a record two thirds of its budget on defence next year as costs mount in the war with Russia. The Ekonomichna Pravda newspaper reported that the finance ministry had postponed spending on preparing the energy system for winter until December owing to a lack of funds.
© 2024 AFP
