The Cabinet of Ministers approved the draft state budget for 2025: priorities – security and defense

On September 13, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the draft state budget for 2025, despite the difficult conditions of a full-scale war. This is the third budget drafted and presented during hostilities. About this reported Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal.

“Despite all the challenges and uncertainty, we are submitting the 3rd budget on time during a full-scale war”, – he wrote.

According to the project, state revenues in 2025 should amount to about 2 trillion hryvnias, and expenditures – approximately 3.6 trillion hryvnias, which leads to a deficit of 1.6 trillion hryvnias.

Shmyhal emphasized that the main priority of the budget for 2025 is the defense and security of Ukraine, to which all internal resources will be directed.

In particular, it is planned to allocate no less than UAH 2.22 trillion for defense needs. A significant part of these funds will be used to purchase Ukrainian weapons, equipment and drones.

In addition to defense, the Prime Minister singled out two other important directions:

• social protection — more than UAH 400 billion will be allocated to pensions, subsidies and other social payments. UAH 211 billion is also provided for health care and UAH 170 billion for education.
• support for regions and business — the government will continue to provide financial assistance to local budgets through subsidies and subventions. In addition, preferential lending programs, grants for entrepreneurs, financing of humanitarian demining and implementation of the “eOselya” program are provided for.

“The main goal of this budget for 2025 is to ensure the stability of Ukraine and bring our victory closer”, – concluded Shmyhal.

The Prime Minister also noted that one of the innovations of this budget will be the introduction of a new model of public investment management, which should make capital expenditures more transparent. Special attention is paid to recovery projects, energy initiatives and a new veteran policy.

It should be added that Roksolana Pidlas, head of the Verkhovna Rada’s budget committee, announced earlier that in 2024 state budget expenditures will be reduced by more than 137 billion hryvnias. Of these, more than 115 billion relate to the reduction of service expenses and the repayment of the public debt. Pidlasa also noted that the budget deficit in 2024 will exceed UAH 500 billion.