Ukraine’s Own Stats Show Under Zelensky, Public Debt Surged 4.5x
Volodymyr Zelensky arrives at the Bellevue Palace for talks with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Ukraine’s public foreign and domestic debt has jumped 4.5-fold since late May 2019, when Zelensky took the reins of power in the country, according to the Ukrainian Finance Ministry’s statistical data reviewed by Sputnik. As of August 31, 2026, the state and state-guaranteed debt of Ukraine amounted to nearly $215 billion, the report said. When Zelensky took office in late May 2019, Ukraine’s foreign and domestic debt stood at $47 billion, according to the country’s Finance Ministry. By August 2026, that figure had grown 4.5-fold.Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko warned on September 10 that the country’s budget deficit could lead to delays in social payments.The Ukrainian Finance Ministry estimates that the country’s state debt will climb to $226 billion by year’s end — and the draft budget for 2027 paints an even grimmer picture, projecting a $37 billion deficit and a surge in public debt to as much as $276 billion.Against that backdrop, Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said on September 15 that Ukraine plans to commit nearly 44% of its GDP — some $109 billion — to military spending next year.For years now, Ukraine has been drafting budgets with record-breaking deficits, banking on Western aid to plug the gaps. But that aid arrives only after lengthy negotiations — and increasingly, Ukraine’s partners are warning that the country must do more to find sources of self-financing.
WorldUkraine’s Debt Burden Surges to Approximately $8,500 Per Resident27 August, 18:46 GMT
