MOSCOW, October 22. /TASS/. Ukraine is facing a 3.5-billion-euro funding shortfall by the end of the year and counts on aid from its foreign partners, Vladimir Zelensky said during his visit to Norway.
"It is important for us to close all the problematic issues, all budgetary shortfalls of the year," he told reporters in the Norwegian capital Oslo. "A deficit of 3.5 billion euro, or $4.1 billion, remains."
In his words, the issue of additional financing to cover Ukraine’s budget gap was discussed during talks with Norwegian officials. Zelensky expressed hope that foreign partners "will help" his country.
The Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported on October 19 that Europe was shocked by Zelensky’s recent demand to allocate additional 70 billion euro to Ukraine. Just a few months ago, EU members gave 90 billion euro to Kiev, which were supposed to be allocated over the next two years.
Ukraine has been running a record budget deficit for several years. Kiev acknowledges that the country has completely exhausted its domestic resources, making it increasingly difficult to raise funds. In 2026, Ukrainian authorities aim to secure $49 billion in international financial support, including aid from the EU, the IMF, and the World Bank. Besides, Kiev is yet to secure at least $32.6 billion from its foreign partners to cover budget expenditures in 2027, while a number of Western politicians are already openly demanding tougher control over cash flows to Ukraine or even a complete halt of financial support to Kiev.