Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, while speaking with journalists at the 'Carpathian Eight' summit, stated that the country is facing a 'cosmic deficit of funds' in the state budget. According to him, Kyiv is already working out specific mechanisms to get out of the financial hole and is holding active consultations with European partners. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the Office of the President of Ukraine.

Scale of the Problem: A 'Cosmic' Gap in the Budget

Discussing the state's current financial position, the head of Ukraine used a formulation characteristic of him, calling the deficit 'cosmic.' At the same time, he emphasized that the problem is not a dead end: 'Ukraine will find all the ways out of the current situation. I already know this, some things. There are already agreements,' Zelensky stated. Specific figures on the deficit and details of the alleged agreements were not disclosed in the public statement, leaving room for further clarification by the relevant ministries.

Dialogue with Brussels: Meeting with von der Leyen

According to the president, a key element of the plan to close the budget gap is interaction with the European Commission. 'Yesterday I spoke with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, we will meet with her in the near future. We are preparing some proposals to get out of the deficit, the one I mentioned, the cosmic one, between us,' Zelensky said. Thus, Kyiv intends to present Brussels with a package of proposals aimed at stabilizing state finances. Earlier, in August 2026, Zelensky had already publicly noted problems specifically with the budget of the Ministry of Defense, indicating the systemic nature of the deficit, which goes beyond a single department.

Military Production: Fast Drone Interceptors

In addition to financial topics, at the 'Carpathian Eight' summit the President of Ukraine addressed the issue of the military-industrial potential. He reported that the country is preparing for the serial production of fast drone interceptors. According to him, two Ukrainian companies have already successfully conducted combat tests of the new devices, which shot down a Russian 'Shahed' drone. This statement underscores Kyiv's course on import substitution in the air defense sector and the development of domestic solutions to counter mass UAV attacks.

'Carpathian Eight': A New Regional Platform

The summit at which the aforementioned statements were made was the first in the history of the 'Carpathian Eight' format to be held on the territory of Ukraine. According to information from the Office of the President, the platform brings together the regions and communities of eight neighboring countries and is intended to form a new mechanism for solving common tasks — from economic cooperation to security. The creation of such a format is seen as a tool for bringing the Carpathian region closer together and strengthening its negotiating weight within broader European and transatlantic processes.

Preparation for Negotiations with the US

A separate block of Zelensky's statement was information about upcoming contacts with representatives of the United States. According to the president, Kyiv is preparing for negotiations that, in his assessment, should strengthen Ukraine's position in the confrontation with Russia. Details of the format, the composition of the delegations, and the agenda of these contacts were not disclosed at the time of publication.

Contradictory Data

No significant factual discrepancies were found in the provided sources: all four materials record the same statement by Zelensky at the 'Carpathian Eight' summit and are consistent in the key points — about the 'cosmic' deficit, contacts with von der Leyen, and preparation for negotiations with the US. The only difference lies in the level of detail: RBC-Ukraine and from-ua.org convey direct quotes, while ukraina.ru and gazeta.ru limit themselves to a retelling. At the same time, gazeta.ru (August 24, 2026) records an earlier context — a complaint about the deficit in the Ministry of Defense budget, which does not contradict but complements the current statement about the systemic nature of the problem. The specific 'agreements' mentioned by Zelensky were not documented by any party at the time of publication, making them, for now, merely a statement by the head of state.