MOSCOW, June 24. /TASS/. Ukraine spent $18 bln on military needs in the first five months of this year, which reaches almost 60% of all budget spending, according to the country's Finance Ministry.
"Expenditures of the general fund of the state budget on the security and defense sector amounted to 732.8 bln hryvnia (around $18 bln at the rate of the National Bank of Ukraine - TASS) January - May 2024, or 58.3% of the total amount of expenditures of the general fund of the state budget," the ministry said on its Facebook page (banned in Russia, owned by the Meta corporation, recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation).
The Ministry of Finance added that military spending remains a priority and the largest item in the state budget, while it is financed only from its own tax revenues and war bonds.