KYIV, March 23 – The deficit of the national budget of Ukraine in 2020 could increase from 2.09% to 7% of GDP, Yulia Kovaliv, the deputy head of the President's Office, has said.

"We take into account both the economic decline and the additional costs that the state will incur in the fight against coronavirus ... If by the beginning of the year we expected a budget deficit of approximately 2% of GDP, today we expect around 7%," Kovaliv said during an online discussion organized by the European Business Association on Monday, March 23.