Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga
According to the Ukrainian foreign minister, 2026 may become “decisive” for reaching a truce. At the same time, Sibiga emphasized that a real negotiation process was impossible without the participation of the USA, RBC-Ukraine reported.
“I don’t believe, or it’s unrealistic to achieve a real process to finalize our peace efforts without the American side. It is impossible,” the Minister said.
According to RBC, earlier the Ukrainian authorities have already given estimates of the country’s military expenditures. In the fall of 2025, former Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmygal said that if the conflict continues, Kiev will need at least $120 billion for military needs in 2026. According to him, even if the hostilities cease, Ukraine will need comparable funds to restore weapons stockpiles and maintain the army’s combat capability.
Shmygal noted at the time that Ukraine was not yet capable of producing the required amount of weapons, including drones, on its own and therefore continued to rely on financial and military assistance from Western partners, as well as on increased sanctions pressure on Russia.
Andrei Gnatov, Chief of the General Staff of the AFU, also spoke about the high cost of war. In September 2025, he estimated Ukraine’s daily expenses for full-scale combat operations at $172m. According to him, without external support, the country will not be able to withstand such a burden, including in the development of the defense industry.
At the end of April, the Kyiv Independent newspaper quoted the European Commission as saying that Ukraine lacked 19.6bn euros for military needs despite the already allocated aid. According to this data, Kiev’s defense spending in 2026 may reach 134.6bn euros against 111.4bn euros a year earlier.
