Zelenskyy approved the NSDC decision on the defense budget for 2026: what it entails

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved the decision of the National Security and Defense Council regarding the defense budget for 2026. The document provides for a number of instructions to the Cabinet of Ministers, as well as to the bodies of the security and defense sector of Ukraine. This is stated in Presidential Decree No. 692/2025 of September 19, 2025, writes UNN.

Details”To enact the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine of September 19, 2025 “On proposals to the draft law of Ukraine “On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2026″ on articles related to ensuring national security and defense of Ukraine,” the decree states.

According to the document, the Cabinet of Ministers is instructed to:

• provide in the draft law “On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2026” expenditures for ensuring national security and defense of Ukraine for the security and defense sector in an amount not less than the amount of expenditures provided for in the 2025 budget;
• provide for the possibility of adjusting in 2026 the volume of expenditures for national security and defense of Ukraine taking into account the military-political situation;
• take measures to ensure timely and full financing in 2026 for the bodies of the security and defense sector for the payment of monetary allowances to servicemen, privates and officers, police officers;
• take measures in 2026 to ensure timely and full payment of one-time monetary assistance in case of death of persons, as well as their death as a result of injury received during martial law;
• continue in 2026 to implement measures to attract additional sources of military-technical assistance to Ukraine;
• ensure in 2026 the fulfillment of the task of priority financing of the activities of the subjects of the security and defense sector of Ukraine in priority areas;
• develop and approve by March 1, 2026, the State Target Defense Program for the Development of Armaments and Military Equipment for the period up to 2031.

Also, the bodies of the security and defense sector of Ukraine should take measures during 2026 to:

• strengthen financial discipline in the management of budget appropriations and ensure targeted, effective and efficient use of budget funds;
• ensure the fulfillment of state contracts (agreements) for the procurement of goods, works and services for defense purposes, repayment of accounts receivable and prevention of overdue accounts receivable;
• improve planning and resource management in the field of security and defense.

RecallIn 2026, Ukraine plans to spend 2.8 trillion hryvnias on national security and defense, of which 955 billion hryvnias will go to the purchase and production of weapons. This accounts for one-third of all funds allocated for defense, with 60% of the budget directed to defense until the end of hostilities.