Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada is the unicameral parliament of Ukraine and the country's sole legislative body. It comprises 450 members of parliament elected for five-year terms under a proportional system. It sits in Kyiv in the building on Hrushevskoho Street.
-
EU to send Ukraine additional €3.3 billion for missiles and drones
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced, after a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, that the EU would allocate an additional €3.3 billion to Ukraine for missiles and drones, to be disbursed on Friday, 18 September, under the Ukraine Support Loan program. The announcement was paired with a proposed new joint EU–Ukraine defense initiative, funded through remaining SAFE program funds, aimed at developing a European air and missile defense system based on the joint Freya/Freyja anti-ballistic system.
-
Zelensky appoints Anton Kovalsky as acting Prosecutor General of Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed decree No. 946/2026 appointing Anton Kovalsky, previously the head of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Prosecutor's Office, as acting Prosecutor General of Ukraine. The appointment comes days after the Verkhovna Rada voted to accept the resignation of Ruslan Kravchenko, whose dismissal followed an NABU and SAP investigation into a criminal organization operating in the Office of the Prosecutor General.
-
Ukraine's parliament backs bill boosting parliamentary oversight of law enforcement
On 17 September, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, adopted draft law No. 14130 in first reading with 240 votes in favor. The bill strengthens parliamentary control over law enforcement and prosecutorial bodies, including mandatory annual reporting by the State Bureau of Investigation and the Prosecutor General on torture and ill-treatment investigations.
-
Ukrainian parliament dismisses Prosecutor General Kravchenko after he announced suspicion against NABU chief and left Ukraine
Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada voted 317-0 to dismiss Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko on 15 September 2026, one day after he announced suspicions against NABU director Semen Kryvonos and a person close to the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP), and left the country. President Volodymyr Zelensky had suspended Kravchenko the previous evening. The dismissal comes against the backdrop of the 'Carthage' operation, conducted by NABU and SAP, which has exposed a corruption scheme involving officials of the Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG).
-
Zelensky orders return of asset declarations for rear-echelon security officials, signs call-center fraud law
On 16 September 2026, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the preparation of a decision to reinstate mandatory asset declarations for law enforcement officers and Security Forces members who are not at war, in a scope sufficient to monitor their property and lifestyle. In the same address he signed a law introducing criminal liability for fraudulent call centers and ordered a vetting of all heads of central executive bodies, citing high corruption risks at the tax service, ARMA, and various inspectorates.
-
Ukrainian parliament approves in first reading VAT on foreign marketplace purchases
On 16 September, the Verkhovna Rada voted in first reading for a package of bills introducing VAT on goods bought through foreign marketplaces, regardless of value. 273 MPs backed the Tax Code amendment and 267 supported a separate customs bill. Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said the legislation is part of Ukraine's obligations to the IMF and the EU and warned that the country has already missed a €4 billion tranche, with an October tranche still contingent on passage.
-
Ukraine's government submits 2027 draft budget to parliament: defense at 44% of GDP, $52.6 billion external financing required
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers approved and submitted the draft State Budget for 2027 to the Verkhovna Rada on September 15, 2026. The bill, registered as No. 16000, allocates 4 trillion 885 billion hryvnias (about 43.8–44% of GDP) to defense and security, projects total expenditures of 7 trillion 272 billion hryvnias, and identifies an external financing requirement of $52.6 billion, of which only $20 billion has been confirmed by partners.
-
Ukraine's parliament votes 317-0 to dismiss Prosecutor General Kravchenko
On 15 September 2026, the Verkhovna Rada voted unanimously, 317 to 0, to dismiss Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, and President Volodymyr Zelensky signed decree No. 932/2026 formalizing the dismissal. The vote came a day after Zelensky suspended Kravchenko from the post under Ukraine's martial law provisions and after Kravchenko left Ukraine overnight claiming to be on an official business trip abroad. Kravchenko's removal follows a public confrontation with the country's independent anti-corruption bodies over the NABU/SAP "Carthage" operation and his announcement of a suspicion notice against NABU director Semen Kryvonos.
-
EU commissioners set conditions in letter to Ukrainian lawmakers on extra defence funding
European commissioners have sent a letter to Ukrainian members of parliament setting out the conditions under which the EU would provide additional financing, responding to Ukraine's request for an extra $27 billion in defence funding. The letter, signed by Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, spells out legislative commitments Ukraine must meet under the Ukraine Facility and Ukraine Support Loan programmes.
-
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General announces suspicion against NABU director, then leaves the country; Zelensky moves to dismiss him
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, who had resigned a week earlier amid the NABU/SAPO “Carthage” operation against his own office, announced on 14 September that he had signed a notice of suspicion against NABU director Semen Kryvonos. The same night he left Ukraine. President Zelensky publicly called for his immediate dismissal, submitted the motion to the Verkhovna Rada, and signed a decree suspending him under martial-law provisions. The European Commission said it was aware of the events and stressed that independent anti-corruption bodies are a cornerstone of the rule of law in Ukraine.
-
Japanese House Speaker Eisuke Mori makes first visit to Ukraine, greeted by Verkhovna Rada chairman
Eisuke Mori, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Japanese Parliament, arrived in Ukraine on September 14 on his first visit to the country. He was met at a Kyiv railway station by Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament. The two had met the previous day on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Paris.
-
Ukraine's daily war cost rises to $190 million, budget chief says
Roksolana Pidlasa, head of the Verkhovna Rada budget committee, said at the Yalta European Strategy conference in Kyiv that one day of war now costs Ukraine $190 million — $50 million more than in 2024. She warned that domestic resources are running short of defense needs and that Russian strikes have driven a VAT revenue shortfall.
-
Ukraine risks losing part of $29.5 billion in foreign financing without parliamentary votes, PM Koretsky warns
Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky warned that Ukraine risks losing a significant portion of an anticipated $29.5 billion in international financing if the Verkhovna Rada delays the required legislation, and said the government will send parliament a schedule with clear deadlines for each vote. He described the country's state finances as close to critical and said the government plans to complete its own share of 42 commitments by October 15, having accelerated the timeline from the previously announced November 1 deadline.
-
Ukraine plans $2–3 billion war-risk insurance fund for businesses, partly funded by VAT hike
Ukraine's Minister of Economy Oleksandr Kravchenko announced plans for a $2–3 billion insurance fund to compensate businesses for losses from Russian attacks, with payouts targeted to begin on January 1, 2027. The government proposes funding part of the fund by raising VAT from 20% to 21%, a politically sensitive move that has not yet been finalized.
-
Ukraine's PM outlines $56.5 billion in year-end financial needs, split between macrofinancing and defense
Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky told the Yalta European Strategy forum that Ukraine faces two urgent financial challenges by year-end: $29.5 billion in confirmed macrofinancing at risk of not being received, and an additional $27 billion needed for defense forces. The government pledged to finish its part of the work by mid-October, including submitting required draft laws in September and finalizing all Cabinet resolutions by October 15, while calling on parliament to pass 27 outstanding bills.
-
Ukraine's Prosecutor General Kravchenko resigns amid NABU 'Carthage' corruption probe
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko submitted his resignation on the evening of 7 September after NABU and SAPO exposed a criminal organization within the Office of the Prosecutor General accused of protecting fraudulent call centers. First Deputy Prosecutor General Maria Vdovychenko also resigned. The president has not yet formally submitted the dismissal to the Verkhovna Rada.
-
Ukraine's government submits three more draft laws to parliament tied to international financing
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers approved and sent to the Verkhovna Rada three draft laws needed to attract international financing and cover the state budget deficit. Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky described the deficit situation as serious and called on lawmakers, regardless of political affiliation, to vote on the package as quickly as possible.
-
Ukraine's Prosecutor General Kravchenko resigns after NABU searches expose alleged call-centre protection scheme
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko submitted his resignation on the evening of 7 September after anti-corruption investigators searched the Office of the Prosecutor General and exposed an alleged scheme to protect fraudulent call centres. The 'Carthage' operation by NABU and SAPO has led to the detention of several suspects, including Serhiy Kropyva, a deputy head of an OGP department, with bail set at 120 million hryvnia. President Zelensky said the resignation would be sent to the Verkhovna Rada.
-
Ukraine's Diia portal opens four new claim categories in international Register of Damage
Ukraine's Diia portal launched four new categories of applications to the international Register of Damage for Ukraine (RD4U). The categories cover loss of access to medical care, loss of access to education, other violations of international law, and other economic losses. Applications are submitted through the Diia portal and forwarded automatically to the Register.
-
US envoys visit Kyiv for first time, signal return to trilateral talks but report no breakthrough
US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travelled to Kyiv on 6 September 2026 for their first visit to Ukraine since Donald Trump's second presidential term began, after meeting Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 5 September. They held three rounds of talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, joined in the second round by national security advisers from France, Germany and the United Kingdom, and announced a planned return to the US–Ukraine–Russia trilateral format and US support for a 'winter package' of assistance for Ukraine. Zelensky reported receiving a message that 'the Russians are ready to negotiate' but remained sceptical, while the Kremlin, Bloomberg sources and the Institute for the Study of War said the Moscow talks produced no substantive concessions.