MOSCOW, October 12 (HS/RIA Novosti) - Ukraine is set to pay international financial institutions more than $4.61 billion in 2026 to cover debt servicing and principal repayments, according to statistical data reviewed by RIA Novosti.

According to the finance ministry's data, Ukraine must pay over $2.67 billion in 2026 toward the principal of its external debt to international financial institutions. This figure comprises more than 330 million euros ($366 million), $600 million, and 1.26 billion Special Drawing Rights ($1.7 billion). Ukraine will also pay over $1.94 billion in 2026 for external debt servicing. The total payment to international financial institutions in 2026, covering both principal and interest, will exceed $4.61 billion, the ministry said.

On Sunday, RIA Novosti reported that Ukraine is scheduled to pay international financial institutions more than $128.09 billion in debt servicing and principal repayments between now and 2061.

Ukraine's external state debt has increased 5.7-fold since the end of May 2019, when Vladimir Zelensky came to power. External debt currently accounts for 78.5% of the country's total state debt, while in May 2019, that figure stood at 62.14%.

The Ukrainian Finance Ministry estimated that the country's state debt will reach 10,146 billion hryvnias ($226 billion) by the end of this year. Ukraine’s draft state budget for 2027 projects a deficit of $37 billion and a rise in public debt to as much as $276 billion.

The Kiev regime is attempting to plug budget gaps through external financing. Meanwhile, in the West, the approval of new aid packages follows lengthy deliberations, and partners are increasingly warning that Ukraine needs to step up efforts to find sources of self-financing.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar