Reuters: Ukraine to ask allies for additional $20 billion in military funding

Ukraine will ask allies for an additional $20 billion in military funding at a meeting next week to solidify what it sees as its current battlefield advantage over Russia, a Ukrainian defense source said, Reuters reported.

The request will be made next Thursday at a meeting of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine, an alliance of more than 50 countries also known as the Ramstein Group, within which allies organize financial and military assistance to Kiev.

"We have a six- to nine-month timeframe for battlefield opportunities, which requires an urgent acceleration of funding," the source said.

Russian advances on the battlefield have slowed this year – practically coming to a halt last month – as Ukrainian strikes with medium-range drones have damaged Russian supplies and logistics for the front, according to Reuters.

Ukrainian long-range drone strikes, meanwhile, are damaging Russia's energy sector, the agency reports.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that Russian forces were still making daily advances on the battlefield and that there was no risk to the Russian economy, although he acknowledged that Ukrainian strikes were causing damage.

Individual allies will be asked to contribute between $2 billion and $6 billion to reach the $20 billion goal, either in the form of aid or loans, the source said. The request was first reported by Politiko.