MOSCOW, September 28. /TASS/. Military operations will require Ukraine’s budget to spend $175 billion next year, First Deputy Finance Minister Roman Yermolichev said.

"There is a risk that we will again face a funding shortfall. Next year, the defense minister says the war should cost $175 billion. The budget has set aside 100 billion hryvnias [$22.17 billion - TASS]," he said in an interview with the Centre for Economic Strategy YouTube channel.

The official expects foreign partners’ assistance will help Kiev bridge the funding gap.

Earlier, Prime Minister Sergey Koretsky said Ukraine can finance only one-third of state spending with its own funds, including military and social expenditures.

Ukraine has been recording budget deficits for several years. Kiev acknowledges that it has exhausted its own resources and that securing financing is becoming increasingly difficult. On August 20, Vladimir Zelensky said the lack of funds had become a major challenge, with the defense budget alone facing a $27 billion shortfall. According to the latest government figures, Ukraine’s budget gap is about $57.4 billion.