"Urgent Appeal for Allied Support"
Russia: "Sufficient Funds to Meet Military Needs"
The Ukrainian government has raised concerns about financial collapse, urging swift support as it faces difficulties in paying civil servants' salaries and pensions if Western financial aid is cut off. As the war with Russia enters its third year, support from the United States and the West is increasingly diverted to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, resulting in a gradual decrease in aid to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia, which has relatively regained financial stability, has declared its intention to significantly increase next year's defense budget, boasting sufficient funds.
On the 27th (local time), Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, said in an interview with major foreign media, "There is a possibility that 500,000 civil servants, 1.4 million teachers, and 10 million pensioners may not receive their payments on time," adding, "Support from allied countries is very important and urgently needed by us." She further emphasized, "We hope that the European Union (EU) funding will be approved by February next year and disbursed by March."
The EU funding mentioned by Minister Svyrydenko is currently at a standstill. The EU had aimed to agree on a long-term support package totaling 50 billion euros (approximately 71 trillion won) for Ukraine following a summit held in Brussels, Belgium, in mid-month, but the agreement has been stalled due to opposition from Hungary.
Since the outbreak of the war, the United States, which has provided the most financial and military support to Ukraine, is also facing a significant reduction in aid as the Ukraine support budget bill remains pending in Congress due to opposition from the Republican Party, the opposition party. With the U.S. presidential election next year and growing concerns about economic recession both domestically and internationally, public opinion on prolonged support for Ukraine has turned very negative.
There are even observations that the U.S. war strategy in Ukraine is shifting from achieving victory over Russia to negotiating a settlement. Citing U.S. and EU officials, the U.S. political media outlet Politico reported, "The U.S. government's focus is moving from complete victory to securing a favorable position in peace negotiations," and "discussions are underway to redeploy Ukrainian forces from offensive positions to strong defensive positions against Russian forces in the eastern region."
Amid growing concerns about financial collapse due to the reduction of Western support for Ukraine, Russia has boasted that it has sufficient financial capacity and adequate supplies for its military.
According to Bloomberg News, Anton Siluanov, Russia's Minister of Finance, said at a press briefing that day, "The Russian government has provided all the necessary funds for the military's primary missions," emphasizing, "Government revenues from the non-oil and gas sectors have exceeded expectations, allowing for increased government spending."
Earlier, Russia set next year's defense budget at 10.8 trillion rubles (approximately 156 trillion won), accounting for about 30% of the total government budget. This is analyzed as a result of increased political pressure to decisively conclude the Ukraine war with a victory ahead of President Vladimir Putin's bid for a fifth term in the March election next year.
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