Kyiv : Ukraine has appropriated billions of dollars to the defence ministry amid the ongoing conflict with Russia, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Friday.
The Ukrainian government has allocated 119 billion hryvnias (about $4 billion) for the ministry, Shmyhal was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency. We are trying to provide maximum support for our fighters.
The funds will be used to pay salaries to Ukrainian troops, and supply them with equipment, fuel, food, protective devices and weapons, Shmyhal said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he had discussed defensive support for Ukraine with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The two sides talked about the situation on the battlefield and the blocked city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine, Zelensky said on Twitter, adding necessary diplomatic efforts to achieve peace was another topic of the conversation.
Earlier on Saturday, the Ukrainian leader said he had discussed defense cooperation in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Xinhua news agency reported.