Ukraine raises defense spending four times
Ukraine will spend four times more on weapons and military equipment this year, raising its the spending from last year’s 1.25% of GDP to 5.2% in 2015, said Finance Minister Natalya Yaresko, TASS reported.
Budget allocation will top $3.8 billion, President Petro Poroshenko told state TV Channel One in a parallel announcement.
"Higher spending is caused by the current military and political situation around Ukraine and poor conditions of certain weapons and equipment developed and built more than 30 years ago," defense sector spokesperson Viktoria Kushnir told reporters on Tuesday.
Ukraine’s forces will buy more than 500 items of weapons and hardware, more than 300,000 "means of destruction" and 3,500 "other samples of weapons and equipment", she said.
As for deals struck last year, the military will be supplied with 450,000 "means of destruction", 70 types of key weapons and more than 6,000 units of other armaments, she added.
Thermal imaging devices would be delivered from US supplier American Technologies Network Corporation before April 30. Archer will supply binoculars.