# Zelensky says Ukraine needs €70 billion from Europe next year to keep war effort going

*Friday, October 16, 2026 at 2:07 PM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-10-16T14:07:19.225Z (1h ago)
**Category**: geopolitics | **Region**: Eastern Europe
**Importance**: 10/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/20714.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: Volodymyr Zelensky estimates Ukraine’s war will cost €155 billion next year and is asking European partners for at least €70 billion for defense, weapons and resilience, arguing that Ukraine can ramp up drone production but lacks the money to do it.

Volodymyr Zelensky has put a price tag on Ukraine’s war effort for the coming year and on what he wants from Europe. He told European partners that sustaining the fight against Russia in the next year will cost €155 billion and that Ukraine needs at least €70 billion of that from Europe for defense, weapons and resilience.

In remarks reported by Ukrainian and international outlets, Zelensky called the requested amount realistic and urged European governments to anchor this support in their own multi‑year budgets, including planning toward 2028. He said Ukraine could double or triple production of some types of drones but doesn’t yet have the funding to scale up.

Zelensky has argued that drones allow Ukrainian forces to wear down Russian infantry, logistics and economic targets at relatively low cost, provided that production and operations are financed steadily rather than in bursts that disrupt supply chains.

Behind the numbers lie practical questions for people inside and outside Ukraine. For Ukrainians, funding levels will shape how much air defense ammunition the country can buy, how damaged energy infrastructure can be repaired, and whether basic state services can function under constant attack. For European citizens, the issue shows up in budget debates, energy costs and security policy.

Zelensky has also linked Europe’s choices to wider risks. He has warned that if Ukraine falls, millions of Ukrainians could move westward and that a Russian victory would threaten the broader European order. In his view, Putin has been “waging war” in different forms since the campaigns in Chechnya, and has learned that using oil and gas as leverage can mute international pushback.

The Ukrainian president has criticized a reported diesel deal between the United States and Russia, arguing that it would put more money directly into the Kremlin’s war budget and could open the way for later gas deals and sanctions relief. He has said that if Western countries choose to buy Russian fuel, they should also strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses to protect its own energy grid from attack.

Across a series of recent statements, Zelensky has stressed that the issue isn’t just control over Donbas but Ukraine’s continued existence as an independent state. He’s argued that Putin doesn’t view Ukraine as a real country and that the Kremlin will not be satisfied with limited territorial gains.

Signals to watch now are whether EU and other European budgets start to include stable multi‑year lines for Ukraine approaching the scale Zelensky is asking for, how far European states are willing to go in providing air defense systems and interceptors, and whether debates over fuel deals with Russia shift in light of his warnings.