The European Commission will transfer a further €3.3 billion to Ukraine on Friday to purchase defence equipment, as part of the €90 billion loan to support the country, EFE reports.
The funds are intended for the purchase of drones and missiles and will help Ukraine defend its territory and airspace against Russian aggression, the European Commission said in a statement.
This is the fourth payment made to Ukraine under the defence component of the loan, meaning that the EC will transfer almost €15 billion to Kyiv this year, both for defence and for broader support measures.
The loan includes €30 billion in budgetary support and €60 billion for defence for the period 2026-2027.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen indicated on Wednesday in her State of the Union address, as well as in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, that the European executive is ready to use the remaining funds from the ‘Security Action for Europe’ instrument to launch a new joint EU-Ukraine programme.
The initiative would develop a European air and missile defence system based on the existing Freyja anti-ballistic missile system. It would combine Ukraine’s battlefield experience with Europe’s industrial and technological strength, the European Commission stressed.
The transfer of the funds on Friday follows the Commission’s decision on 11 September to approve €6.1 billion for Ukraine’s air and missile defence, as well as for other defence needs, including PAC-3 missiles for Patriot systems.
Ukraine presented its financing strategy in March, and the Council of the EU (the member states) subsequently decided in April to allocate up to €45 billion to it in 2026.
This amount includes €16.7 billion in budgetary support, divided equally between the so-called Ukraine Facility and macro-financial assistance for the country, with a maximum of €8.35 billion each, and an additional €28.3 billion for defence industrial capabilities.
The defence component focuses on rebuilding and modernising Ukraine’s technological and industrial defence base, while also supporting its gradual integration into Europe’s military-industrial structure.
Since 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU and its member states have provided Ukraine with a total of €224.5 billion in aid, including €3.8 billion from revenues generated by frozen Russian assets, according to European Commission figures.
Source: AGERPRES
