Zelensky: The budget deficit hinders weapons development...and Russian intelligence talks about corruption

Following an interview with him, the Financial Times newspaper reported: “Zelensky stated that Ukraine faces a budget deficit that hinders the development and large-scale production of vital types of defensive weapons.”

Bloomberg reported yesterday, citing unnamed sources, that the European Union refused to accelerate the provision of the scheduled loan requested by the authorities in Kiev, noting that the talk here is about a loan worth 90 billion euros for two years. About 60 billion are allocated to defense purchases, and 30 billion are allocated to support the Ukrainian budget. But out of the 45 billion planned for this year, the European Union has so far provided only 14.9 billion euros.

Compensating budget losses at the expense of the European Union

Russian intelligence stated yesterday that the “hole” resulting from corruption in Ukraine’s budget will be filled with funds from ordinary citizens in European countries, and added: “Zelensky’s statements about the emergence of an unplanned “hole” worth $27 billion in the budget of the Ukrainian army may indicate something. However, Kiev and its European supporters, as usual, will fill this gap with funds confiscated from ordinary citizens in European countries.”

Russian intelligence added that the extent of corruption in Ukraine "impedes reaching a peaceful settlement." Driven by their greed for quick profits, the “ruling clique in Ukraine” represented by Vladimir Zelensky and his entourage refuse to stop enriching themselves from a war that is devastating Ukrainians.

According to surveys conducted by Sosis, corruption has become, for many Ukrainians, a problem greater than the war itself, as 90% of them consider its levels to be high or very high, while about 57% hold Zelensky responsible for its spread, a percentage nearly double what was recorded in a similar poll in 2025.