The European Commission approved the dispatch of an additional 6.1 billion euros for Ukraine to acquire defense products, including air defense and anti-missile systems, ammunition, drones and electronic warfare equipment. The president of the European executive, Ursula von der Leyen, stressed that with this approval, Ukraine can now purchase the necessary Patriot equipment to better protect its skies from Russian attacks.
The funding is intended to support Ukraine's capacity to resist continuous Russian ballistic missile and drone attacks. Following an agreement reached by the 27 EU countries, Kyiv can use the funds to purchase PAC-3 missiles for American Patriot systems. The package also includes five derogations from the usual eligibility conditions, including three for drones and components manufactured in Ukraine that exceed cost thresholds, and two for equipment manufactured in the USA through the NATO-coordinated PURL mechanism.
The approved funding is part of the Ukraine Support Loan, worth 90 billion euros, which provides 30 billion for budget support and 60 billion for defense during 2026 and 2027. This latter amount includes 28.3 billion euros intended to strengthen Ukraine's defense industrial capacity. The Commission has already released 8.35 billion euros in defense funding for Ukraine this year.
The European executive is currently reviewing contracts before releasing the funds, to ensure compliance with the loan conditions for Ukraine and the terms agreed with the Member States. The Commission stressed that it intends to accelerate deliveries within the EU by reducing stocks, redefining order priorities and increasing production.
