Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on Wednesday said that the country's military leadership is working on a government decision to allocate an additional $9.1 billion for arms purchases.
"Currently, we are working on the Cabinet of Ministers' decision to allocate an additional UAH (Ukrainian hryvnia) 370 billion for the purchase of weapons," Umerov said in a statement on Facebook.
Expressing that he and Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi are constantly working in the frontline regions to communicate the needs of troops, Umerov said they are looking into new possibilities to support the country's defense industry.
Umerov further said he recently visited the Kharkiv region and that Ukrainian troops are losing manpower and equipment to the Russian army.
"I heard a report on the operational situation in the region from the commanders of the brigades that are restraining the enemy's efforts in this direction (Kharkiv). I am grateful to the soldiers, sergeants, and junior officers who courageously defend our positions and destroy the occupiers," he said.
He went on to say that he held talks with authorities in Kharkiv and Ukraine's Security Service on the current situation and ways to improve it, adding that they continue to strengthen their positions on the front line.
On May 10, Ukraine's Defense Ministry said Russian forces attempted to breach the country's defenses in the Kharkiv region, opening a new front in the over two-year-long conflict that was hitherto concentrated in the country's east and south.
Clashes in the region have intensified since then, particularly near Vovchansk, located about 74 kilometers (45 miles) from Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, which has also been hit by Russian airstrikes.
Russia claims to have seized control of multiple border settlements since the start of its offensive on the Kharkiv front, as well as other fronts including Donetsk.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities have noted the lack of air defense systems in defending the country from Russian airstrikes, urging international partners to provide them as soon as possible.
