Kyiv sends new batch of military equipment to the front
On Saturday, October 15, 2016, the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, is sending a new batch of military equipment to the frontline, as he stated on Friday, October, 14 2016, during the Defender of Ukraine Day events.
"If we want to survive as a nation, as a people, as a state, we have to spend at least 5% of our GDP (Gross Domestic Product) on military and security. If you look at these costs in terms of the global prices of weapons and equipment, if you compare our budget with similar costs in other countries, it is obvious that we have very limited and modest financial reserves. To give just one example: today, everyone is talking about a dispute over a helicopter contract between two European countries; the price of 50 helicopters is more than 3 billion Euros. We need dozens of helicopters, if not hundreds. However, our entire annual military budget does not even reach 60% of this amount. Next year it will be 64 billion," Poroshenko said.
The President stressed that at the same time Ukraine is using all available resources as efficiently as possible. This year, about 2,000 pieces of weapons and military equipment were purchased for the military. In the following year 11 billion hryvnia (about $ 430 million) will be spent on the equipment purchases.
"Every citizen has the right to see the military equipment which is paid for from the State budget using the tax revenue. And we will continue to demonstrate the achievements of our defense industry. I will continue with the regular public demonstrations of the equipment and armor being handed over to our troops. This time there will be combat and transport aircraft, missile and artillery weapons, tanks, infantry combat vehicles, armored personnel carriers, trucks and logistical support equipment," Poroshenko said.