MOSCOW, September 6. /TASS/. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry will not be able to pay military personnel for taking part in combat operations by the September 20 deadline unless the law on budget amendments, which includes tax increases, is passed, said Verkhovna Rada Budget Committee Chairwoman Roksolana Pidlasa during a Ukrainian telethon.
"Unfortunately, this is true. Indeed, the Defense Ministry is telling us that they don't have the money to pay by September 20. However, we will vote to modify the state budget by September 20. I cannot now name the date of the Verkhovna Rada meeting, but we expect this vote around September 17-18," she said.
Pidlasa clarified that the difficulties regarding the payments arose as the US did not provide military assistance to Kiev in the first quarter of 2024 due to delays in the approval of the relevant bill in Congress. As a result, Ukraine had to purchase weapons using its own money, which was earmarked for military payments in the second half of 2024.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal has admitted that Kiev desperately needs to raise at least 500 billion hryvnias (about $12.2 billion) for defense needs by the end of the year. The government submitted a bill to the Rada to raise taxes to cover the deficit back in July, but failed to pass it fast enough.