April 9, 2025, 5:02 p.m.
(PHOTO: Censor.NET)
In 2024, Ukraine spent more than $60 thousand on lobbying in the United States, which is significantly less than in 2023. Spending by other countries, such as Russia and Poland, has also decreased, but Russia still spends much more than Ukraine.
This is evidenced by the data from the Opendatabot monitoring system.
In 2024, Ukraine spent 62.5 thousand dollars of public funds on lobbying its interests in the United States, which is 6 times less than in 2023. Since the beginning of 2022, the total amount spent on lobbying in America has amounted to more than $5.4 million. For comparison, Russia spent 2.2 times more on lobbying for the same amount - $11.8 million.
Today, there are 6,882 registered lobbying companies in the United States, of which 517 actively influence American politicians and shape the agenda in Washington.
Comparison of lobbying expenses in 2024 shows that Poland has reduced funding for lobbyists in the United States to $245,200, which is 5 times less than in 2023. Russia also reduced its spending by 18 times, spending $461,200, but even after that it still spends 7.4 times more than Ukraine and almost twice as much as Poland.
In March 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law on lobbying in Ukraine, which was intended to ensure transparency of lobbying activities in the country, but this bill has not yet entered into force.
Previously, political parties that passed the 5% threshold in parliamentary elections received funding from the state budget. This rule was introduced in 2015 to reduce the influence of oligarchs. Initially, funds were provided to parties that received more than 2% of the vote.
Last November, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the state budget for 2025. The total resource for the security and defense sector will amount to UAH 2.23 trillion, including UAH 739 billion for the production and purchase of weapons. More funds will be allocated to modernize the defense industry and purchase drones.
Анна Бальчінос