KYIV: The Ukrainian parliament voted to amend the 2023 state budget, raising spending as Kyiv seeks additional funds for arms and military salaries amid Russia’s invasion. The approval of the draft would allow Ukraine to continue to counter Russia’s aggression effectively.
“In line with the proposed changes, total funds for the security and defense sector will reach 1.67 trillion hryvnias [$45.2bn]. That’s 26.6 percent of GDP,” Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said.
The ministry mentioned that 518.2 billion hryvnias ($14bn) would go towards military wages and special equipment, including drones.
Meanwhile, Putin slammed UK’s plan to send depleted uranium ammo to Kyiv. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram, “Yugoslav scenario. These shells not only kill, but infect the environment and cause oncology in people living on these lands.
“By the way, it is naive to believe that only those against whom all this will be used will become victims. In Yugoslavia, NATO soldiers, in particular the Italians, were the first to suffer. Then they tried for a long time to get compensation from NATO for lost health. But their claims were denied,” she said.
It is worth noting that President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have begun their talks in the Kremlin. Notably, this is the first meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with any global leader since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for his atrocities on children in war-torn Ukraine.
Earlier today, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in Ukraine’s national capital Kyiv for a surprise visit. According to Japanese media, NHK News, the Prime Minister was scheduled to return to Japan on Tuesday but instead, he chose to head to the war-torn nation.