Ukraine’s defense minister said at the NATO–Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting that the country urgently needs both short and long term financial support to expand drone and missile production and maintain its frontline operations. He estimated Ukraine’s total defense funding requirement for 2026 at around $120 billion.
Speaking at the meeting held alongside the NATO defense ministers session at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Defense Minister Denis Shmyhal said Ukraine urgently needs $4 billion to accelerate drone manufacturing. He added that if partners provide the necessary financing, Ukraine could produce up to 10 million drones in 2026.
Shmyhal also discussed the United States-led “Priority Urgent Requirements List” program known as PURL which coordinates delivery of weapons and equipment to Ukraine. He said PURL’s financing needs for next year are expected to reach between $12 billion and $20 billion and invited more countries to join the initiative. “We are ready to discuss coordination of this project,” he said.
On Ukraine’s broader defense demand for 2026 Shmyhal gave the $120 billion figure and outlined how it might be met. “We estimate the overall defense requirement for 2026 at $120 billion. Ukraine will cover $60 billion from national resources. We ask our partners to provide the other half,” he said.
He identified three priority areas. First is the continued supply of US weapons and equipment under PURL. Second is funding for high-volume drone and missile production. “We continue to emphasise the need for $4 billion in urgent financing. If our partners provide the required funds we can produce up to 10 million drones in 2026. We need to combine our long-range strike drones with partners’ long-range missiles. We stress this and request such support,” Shmyhal said. Third is longer-range artillery munitions to increase strike depth at the front line.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte attended the session and underlined the central role of the contact group in coordinating collective support for Ukraine since its establishment. Addressing US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Rutte said moving US weapons and equipment to Ukraine is vital. “Getting your weapons to Ukraine is really important. It will allow Ukraine to protect its people and hold the front line. This is a fast and technically demanding process,” he said.
The meeting was co-chaired by the United Kingdom and Germany. Participants reiterated the need to accelerate deliveries and to scale industrial support for Ukraine’s production needs as the conflict continues to demand high volumes of munitions and systems.
