Topic: Parliament
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IMF estimates Ukraine's financing gap at $54 billion through 2029 as donors meet in Brussels
On September 29, Ukraine's donors gathered in Brussels to accelerate talks on further financial assistance, as IMF estimates put Ukraine's financing gap at about $54 billion through 2029. EU member states remain divided on whether to use roughly €210 billion in frozen Russian central-bank assets or issue new common debt, while the European Commission and IMF tie further assistance to Ukraine's implementation of a reform plan.
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Ukraine's PM ties 2027 VAT hike to war-risk insurance fund for businesses hit by Russian strikes
Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky said a planned 1-percentage-point increase in Ukraine's standard VAT rate, from 20% to 21% under the draft 2027 state budget, is needed to finance a new fund that would promptly compensate businesses for damage caused by Russian missile and drone strikes. Speaking to TSN.Tyzhden, he said Ukraine plans an initial state contribution of about $1 billion, with the government expecting international partners to add roughly four times that amount for a total fund of about $5 billion.
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Ukraine's 2027 defense budget leaves $70 billion shortfall, ministry says
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence estimates 2027 defense needs at $175 billion, nearly double the roughly $100 billion allocated in the government's draft state budget. Officials say the $70 billion gap must be closed with international partners through instruments such as the Ramstein format and PURL. The draft, Ukraine's sixth wartime budget, projects total expenditures above 8 trillion hryvnias and relies on foreign assistance to cover a 4.3 trillion hryvnia gap.
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Ukraine's defense budget faces $27 billion deficit, PM says $20 billion to come from partners
Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky said Ukraine's defense budget has a $27 billion shortfall — part of the $155 billion war financing figure declared at February's Ramstein-format meeting. Around $7 billion is to be covered through domestic austerity and internal reallocation, with roughly $20 billion being sought from international partners for drones, missiles and military equipment.
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Former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Kravchenko registered residence in Vienna after leaving Ukraine
Former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko and his wife Oleksandra registered their residence at an office address in central Vienna, according to Ukrainska Pravda, citing documents from Austria's Central Register of Residence. The registration followed Kravchenko's departure from Ukraine on 14 September, his suspension by President Zelensky the same evening, and the Verkhovna Rada's 317-vote acceptance of his dismissal on 15 September. Kravchenko remained abroad after his self-arranged business trip to Paris ended on 18 September and tendered his resignation on 21 September.
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Zelensky tells IMF's Georgieva in New York that Fund will help Ukraine secure part of 2027 financing
President Volodymyr Zelensky met IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York on September 22, and said the IMF will help Ukraine find part of the funds needed for its financial stability in 2027. Zelensky told Georgieva that the Verkhovna Rada had already passed some of the legislation required by partners and that the remaining laws would be adopted by year's end.
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Ukraine receives $841 million from World Bank under Canadian guarantees for pension payments
Ukraine has received $841 million in financing from the World Bank under guarantees from the Canadian government, with the funds directed to reimbursing state budget pension expenditures. The transfer was raised under the PEACE in Ukraine project, whose total volume has now reached $54.3 billion. Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky announced the funding via Telegram and thanked Canada and the World Bank for timely assistance amid a significant budget deficit.
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Former Ukrainian prosecutor general Kravchenko fired from prosecution service after failing to return from abroad
Former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, who left Ukraine on a self-arranged five-day business trip in mid-September, had not returned to work at the Office of the Prosecutor General by 14:00 on 21 September, three days after his trip officially ended. He had already been suspended by the president on 14 September and dismissed by parliament on 15 September, and on 21 September he was formally removed from the prosecution service by acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalsky.
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Polish defence minister says Ukraine's air defence is Poland's own security interest
Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz told the Sejm on 18 September that Poland's security depends on Ukraine's ability to intercept Russian drones, and accused parts of the opposition of rhetoric that serves Russian interests. The same day Prime Minister Donald Tusk was in Ukraine for the Carpathian Integration Initiative summit and said NATO, Ukrainian and Polish intelligence expect Russia to intensify attacks on Ukraine and its partners in the coming months.
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Verkhovna Rada faces 26-day gap in plenary sessions as MP and press service clash over whether parliament is on break
The Verkhovna Rada will not hold plenary sessions from 17 September to 13 October, according to MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak. The parliament's press service disputes this framing, saying the Rada continues to work through committees and other bodies. The gap comes as several laws tied to Ukraine's international commitments face year-end deadlines.
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Trump signs 'Graham Act' imposing up to 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian energy
US President Donald Trump signed the 'Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026' on September 18, 2026 (overnight into September 19 Kyiv time). The law authorizes tariffs of up to 100% on imports from countries that remain among the five largest buyers of Russian crude oil and natural gas, and continues existing US sanctions against Iran. China, India, and Turkey are named as the most likely targets. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Trump and Congress, while Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called the signing a 'truly historic day.'
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Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada cancels September 18 plenary session; opposition MPs complain of lack of notice
The Verkhovna Rada abruptly cancelled its September 18 plenary session and Hour of Questions to the Government, with MPs and ministers learning of the cancellation upon arriving at parliament. Opposition lawmakers from European Solidarity and Holos publicly criticized the last-minute, poorly communicated decision. The Hour of Questions has been rescheduled to October 12.
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U.S. House passes sweeping Russia and Iran sanctions bill, sending it to Trump
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, sending the legislation to President Donald Trump for signature. The bill imposes mandatory sanctions on Russian leadership, oligarchs, banks, energy firms and the shadow fleet, and authorizes tariffs of up to 100% on countries among the top five buyers of Russian oil and gas. Ukraine welcomed the measure; China, India and Russia sharply criticized it; Germany praised it; Hungary is seeking an exemption.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
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Ukraine's parliament backs reboot of energy regulator in first reading
On 16 September, the Verkhovna Rada adopted draft law No. 14282 in its first reading, with 249 MPs voting in favour. The bill aims to strengthen the independence of the National Commission for State Regulation of Energy and Utility Services (NKREKP) and set the stage for a full reboot of the regulator after adoption. It also responds to a major corruption case in the energy sector by seeking to remove associates of the implicated figures from the body.
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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.
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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.