--- title: "Verkhovna Rada Adopts 2027 State Budget in First Reading: Record 5,236 Amendments and Defense Sector at 43.8% of GDP" description: "On October 28, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the 2027 state budget in the first reading: 239 votes, a record 5,236 amendments, and the defense sector at 43.8% of GDP. The government will finalize the document for the second reading." date: 2026-10-28T10:43:24.883Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/verkhovna-rada-adopts-2027-state-budget tags: [ukraine-budget-2027, verkhovna-rada, state-budget, defense-spending, military-pay] author: "Darya Fomina" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Verkhovna Rada Adopts 2027 State Budget in First Reading: Record 5,236 Amendments and Defense Sector at 43.8% of GDP ![Verkhovna Rada session in Ukraine with MPs at wooden desks and EU flag](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/28/rada-prinyala-gosbyudzhet-2027-v-pervom-chtenii/rada-prinyala-gosbyudzhet-2027-v-pervom-chtenii-1.webp) ## Key Points - On October 28, 2026, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the 2027 state budget draft in the first reading with 239 votes in favor. - A record 5,236 amendments were submitted, with only 90 accepted; amendments were approved to raise military salaries (304 votes) and ban National Cashback financing from the state budget (284 votes). - Budget expenditures for 2027 stand at 7.272 trillion UAH, with the defense sector at 4.885 trillion UAH (43.8% of GDP); minimum wage is 9,546 UAH. - International support needs for 2027 are estimated at $52.6 billion; EC and presidential estimates put the total deficit at up to €70 billion. On October 28, 2026, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supported in the first reading the draft law "On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2027" (bill No. 16000). 239 MPs voted in favor of the document. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the parliamentary session broadcast. The adoption of the budget in the first reading opens the stage of finalizing the text by the government, taking into account parliamentary amendments before the second reading. ### Record Number of Amendments An unprecedented number of amendments was submitted to the draft budget — 5,236, which, according to Roksolana Pidlasa, Head of the Verkhovna Rada Budget Committee, is a 24-year record. Meanwhile, the committee accepted only 90 MPs' proposals. Among the approved changes are increased payments to the military and the expansion of state guarantees for defense enterprises. Recall that on October 21, the Budget Committee recommended that Parliament adopt the 2027 state budget draft in the first reading, inviting the government to incorporate a series of changes during preparation for the second reading. ### Key Decisions on Amendments Before adopting the budget in the first reading, Parliament rejected several proposals but approved two significant amendments. Amendment No. 1279 on increasing military salaries (by 20% of the minimum wage, according to MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak) gathered 304 votes. The Rada also supported an amendment banning the financing of the "National Cashback" program from the 2027 state budget — 284 MPs voted for this decision. ### Main Budget Parameters The 2027 state budget draft projects expenditures at 7 trillion 272 billion hryvnias and revenues at 5 trillion 648 billion hryvnias. The largest expenditure item remains the security and defense sector: 4 trillion 885 billion hryvnias, or 43.8% of the country's GDP. Regarding social indicators, the living wage per person will be 3,559 hryvnias, the minimum wage will be 9,546 hryvnias per month (57.5 hryvnias per hour), and the average nominal salary is projected at 34,409 hryvnias. The annual average forecast for the official US dollar exchange rate is set at 47.1 hryvnias, with the rate expected to reach 48.3 hryvnias by the end of the year. ### Financing Deficit and International Support Ukraine's need for international support in 2027 is estimated at $52.6 billion, of which over $20 billion is already confirmed, while about $32.6 billion remains uncovered. At the same time, according to European Commission and Ukrainian Presidential estimates, the total financing deficit amounts to €70 billion, and total defense and budget needs reach up to €115 billion. Context of pressure on budget revenues: according to Slovo i Dilo, in August and September the state budget under-collected 32 billion hryvnias in tax revenues due to constant strikes on Ukrainian business. ### Further Procedure Now the government must review the parliament's conclusions and amendments, make appropriate changes, and return the revised budget text to the Verkhovna Rada for consideration in the second reading. Thus, the document adopted in the first reading will serve as the basis for the final alignment of state finance parameters for 2027. ## Accounts differ ### Assessment of Ukraine's financing deficit for 2027 - **Government / 2027 State Budget Draft:** Ukraine's need for international support in 2027 is $52.6 billion, of which over $20 billion is confirmed and about $32.6 billion remains uncovered. ([rbc.ua](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/rada-uhvalila-derzhbyudzhet-2027-pershomu-1793182640.html)) - **European Commission and President of Ukraine:** The total financing deficit is estimated at €70 billion, while total needs for defense and budget reach up to €115 billion. ([rbc.ua](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/rada-uhvalila-derzhbyudzhet-2027-pershomu-1793182640.html)) *Where they agree:* All sources acknowledge a significant funding deficit for the budget and defense sector in 2027, requiring international support. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Рада приняла госбюджет-2027 в первом чтении: основные показатели](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/rada-uhvalila-derzhbyudzhet-2027-pershomu-1793182640.html) - Primary source: 239 votes, 5,236 amendments (a 24-year record according to Pidlasa), 90 accepted; expenditures 7.272 trillion UAH, revenues 5.648 trillion UAH, defense 4.885 trillion UAH (43.8% of GDP); support need $52.6 billion; min. wage 9,546 UAH, exchange rate 47.1/48.3 UAH. - [Рада приняла госбюджет-2027 в первом чтении](https://ru.slovoidilo.ua/2026/10/28/novost/jekonomika/rada-prinyala-gosbyudzhet-2027-pervom-chtenii) - Confirms 239 votes, bill No. 16000; Zheleznyak's amendment No. 1279 on +20% to military min. wage (304 votes), amendment banning National Cashback financing (284 votes); October 21 committee recommended first reading; 32 billion UAH tax under-collection in Aug-Sept. - [Рада приняла госбюджет на 2027 год в первом чтении](https://ukranews.com/news/1183870-verhovnaya-rada-prinyala-gosbyudzhet-na-2027-god-v-pervom-chtenii) - Confirms the fact of adoption in the first reading with 239 votes. - [Госбюджет-2027 прошел первое чтение в Раде: что будет с зарплатами, соцвыплатами и обороной](https://sud.ua/ru/news/laws/375968-derzhbiudzhet-2027-proishov-pershe-chytannia-u-radi-shcho-bude-iz-zarplatamy-sotsvyplatamy-ta-oboronoiu) - Confirms the fact of the first reading and thematic parameters (salaries, social payments, defense). ## FAQ ### How many votes did the 2027 budget receive in the first reading? 239 MPs voted in favor of the draft state budget law for 2027 (bill No. 16000). ### How many amendments were submitted to the 2027 budget? 5,236 amendments were submitted — a 24-year record according to Budget Committee Head Roksolana Pidlasa. Only 90 proposals were accepted. ### What is the volume of defense expenditures in the 2027 budget? The security and defense sector is set at 4 trillion 885 billion hryvnias, accounting for 43.8% of the country's GDP. ### What is the minimum wage established in the 2027 budget? The minimum wage is 9,546 hryvnias per month (57.5 hryvnias per hour), and the living wage is 3,559 hryvnias per person. ### What happens after the first reading? The government must take into account parliament's conclusions and amendments, make changes, and return the revised text to the Rada for the second reading.