NB8 leaders in Kyiv: A $27 billion hole in the defense budget
The gang is all here in Kyiv, but the conversation moved quickly from diplomatic handshakes to a massive, looming financial headache.
So, the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) showed up in Kyiv for a summit, and while the optics were great, the math was brutal. Volodymyr Zelenskyy Zelenskyy laid it out plainly: there is a $27 billion gap in the defense budget that needs plugging immediately. We aren't talking about next year; we are talking about keeping the lights on and the skies defended through the winter.
The plan to cover this? Everything from seizing frozen Russian assets to making bilateral deals with anyone willing to listen. It is a massive scramble for cash to keep the defense industry actually churning, considering currently only a quarter of our production capacity is even under contract. The scary part is that the front lines haven't felt the pinch yet, but everyone is praying it stays that way.
It is definitely one way to spice up a diplomatic summit.
Source: Ukrinform
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