Ukraine may have to delay salaries, pensions without foreign aid: Financial Times
People walk in the square, with St. Michael Monastery in the background, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Dec. 27. AP-Yonhap
Ukraine's government faces the prospect of delaying pensions and salaries for public servants if crucial Western financial aid is not approved soon, deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko told the Financial Times on Wednesday.
Kyiv has poured all its revenue into defence since Russia's February 2022 invasion, relying on foreign support to cover everything from pensions to social payments.
But key funding packages, including 50 billion euros ($55.54 billion) from the European Union, have been blocked in Brussels and Washington.
"The support of partners is extremely critical," Svyrydenko told the newspaper. "We need it urgently."
She said 500,000 civil servants, 1.4 million teachers and 10 million pensioners could experience payment delays.
Officials in Kyiv are hoping for an immediate injection of 18.5 billion euros ($20.56 billion) and more than $8 billion to help plug next year's $43 billion budget deficit.
Svyrydenko told the Financial Times that she hoped the EU funding would be approved in February and delivered in March. (Reuters)