Ukrainian soldiers ride atop a tank on the frontline in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, March 22, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

KYIV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a decree to spend at least 21.6 percent of the country's gross domestic product in 2024 on national defense, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported Tuesday.

The presidential decree, which put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defense Council, stipulates that Ukraine's defense spending next year will reach no less than 1.69 trillion hryvnia (about $46 billion).

The document instructed the government to prioritize the financing of the defense sector in the 2024 state draft budget based on the current military-political situation.

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Ukraine's 2023 budget envisages that it will spend 1.14 trillion hryvnia (about $31 billion) or 18.2 percent of GDP on defense.