Dear colleagues! Fellow Ukrainians!
We are starting a regular meeting of the Government.
Ukraine continues to strengthen its financial stability.
Yesterday, the state budget received USD 3.9 billion of non-repayable aid from the United States.
In total, this year we expect to receive USD 7.8 billion in budget support from our American allies.
We are also expecting the next tranche of EUR 4.2 billion under the Ukraine Facility programme from the European Union in the near future.
In 2024, Ukraine will receive a total of EUR 16 billion from the EU under this programme.
We are clearly on track to meet all the indicators. We are implementing all the reforms. We are adopting all the necessary changes.
We have assurances from our partner countries and international financial institutions that all external financing needs for this year will be met.
It is important to emphasise once again that the funds from our partners are assistance to finance non-military budget expenditures.
This is assistance to fulfil the state’s social obligations, pay salaries to state employees, and implement economic and humanitarian projects.
Ukraine finances the security and defence sector from domestic resources. All taxes paid by citizens and businesses in the central budget go exclusively to the Ukrainian army.
We are grateful to each and every person who works, pays taxes, creates jobs and thus helps to finance our defence.
I would also like to thank the members of all the arms coalitions, thanks to which we receive shells, artillery, drones, and now we have received F-16 aircraft.
They are already in the Ukrainian skies, and there will be more and more of them over time.
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The most important part of our work after security and defence is energy.
russia continues to attack our energy infrastructure. Every day our substations and power lines come under enemy fire.
I am grateful to the Ukrainian power engineers who are carrying out routine repairs and preparing the energy system for the next heating season under such difficult conditions.
There are no scheduled power cuts for consumers at the moment. Nevertheless, the situation remains challenging.
To ensure the proper level of preparation for the winter period, the Government has introduced a package of programmes and measures to accelerate the development of decentralised generation.
These include loans to businesses and citizens for the creation of alternative energy, duty-free imports of energy equipment and simplification of bureaucratic procedures for the commissioning of generating units.
We are continuing this work on an ongoing basis.
Today, we are adopting a resolution that will exempt consumers who use at least 80% of their own electricity from power cuts.
In this way, the Government is encouraging energy autonomy for businesses. This is an important element of our energy sustainability.
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Last month, the Government was constantly working in the regions.
Following the on-site meetings in the frontline communities, we collected a significant number of issues. Now we are working systematically to solve these problems.
Today we are taking two important steps.
A pilot project will be implemented for residents of Donetsk, Sumy and Kharkiv regions, allowing them to receive gas in cylinders as humanitarian aid.
Local authorities will collect applications from citizens and forward them to gas distribution networks. Special attention will be paid to veterans, large families, single people, people with disabilities and the poor.
The second step is to expand the list of priority expenditures that the state will finance in the first place.
We received such requests from all regions. So we are making the appropriate decisions.
This includes funding for the construction of shelters, energy programmes under the Decarbonisation Fund, and also the priority of State Treasury funding for dental prostheses for our defenders will be increased. Such changes will allow us to receive funds faster and finance the necessary works and services without delay.
We will continue to hold regional meetings of the Government to better understand the needs on the ground.
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I am grateful to Ukrainian defenders for their heroic defence of the state. I am grateful to each and every Ukrainian for their contribution to the victory and recovery.
Thank you for your attention! Glory to Ukraine!