Speaker Parubiy: Ensuring defense capacity should be priority of Ukraine’s budget for 2017

Verkhovna Rada Chairman Andriy Parubiy says that ensuring a strong defense capacity should be a priority of the national budget for 2017.

The speaker said this after the solemn opening of the fifth parliament’s session of the eighth convocation on September 6, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“We should use all the opportunities for social protection of Ukrainians in the 2017 budget, but also we should remember that the issue on ensuring the defense [capacity] of the country, which is at war, must be a priority for the budget," said Parubiy.

He added that Ukrainian weapons are a guarantee of security, and "we need to strengthen the defense capability."

"This should be priority bills and directions of drawing up our budget. I am sure that here, in the session hall, we share the same opinion on this issue," Parubiy said.

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