Ukraine received another €1.2 billion from the EU for defense

Ukraine has received another €1.2 billion from the European Union under the Ukraine Support Loan. The funds will be used for the country's priority defense needs.

The receipt of the new tranche was announced by Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi. According to him, taking into account the new payment, the volume of defense financing received by Ukraine under this program has approached €13 billion.

This is part of the EU's large-scale €90 billion loan program designed for 2026-2027. Of the total amount, €60 billion is earmarked for strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities and its defense industrial base, and another €30 billion for budget support and ensuring the functioning of the state.

For 2026 alone, the European Union has foreseen up to €45 billion for Ukraine under this program. Of these, €28.3 billion are to be directed to defense needs, and €16.7 billion for supporting the state budget through the Ukraine Facility and macro-financial assistance.

Prior to the current tranche, the European Commission had already made four defense payments: €3.9 billion at the end of June, €1.1 billion in July, €3.47 billion at the end of July, and €3.3 billion in September. Previous payments were used, in particular, for the procurement of drones, missiles, air defense systems, and other weapons. After the receipt of another €1.2 billion, the total volume of such payments amounts to about €12.97 billion.

At the same time, the specific list of procurements to be financed from the new €1.2 billion tranche has not yet been announced. Koretskyi only noted that the funds will go to priority defense needs.

The defense component mechanism of the Ukraine Support Loan provides for financing agreed procurements in accordance with Ukrainian defense needs and plans approved by the European Commission. All expenditures under the program are subject to established conditions and control.

Separately, through the Ukraine Support Loan, Ukraine also receives budget financing. In particular, on October 2, the EU transferred nearly €2.9 billion through the Ukraine Facility, of which about €800 million were for the first time financed precisely from the Ukraine Support Loan. Therefore, the announced nearly €13 billion pertains to the defense component, not to all funds already received by Ukraine under the program.

Ukrainian authorities continue negotiations with the EU so that the remainder of the defense financing planned for this year arrives in accordance with the agreed schedule. The European Commission previously stated that all defense packages foreseen for 2026 totaling €28.3 billion have already been agreed.

Based on materials from: Serhiy Koretskyi, European Commission, European Commission