Commission disburses €3.3 billion in defence funding to Ukraine

September 21, 2026 by The Sting's Team Leave a Comment

Ukraine’s women at breaking point after four years of war as attacks on energy, healthcare continue – UN humanitarians — (Credit: Unsplash)

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

The European Commission will today disburse €3.3 billion to Ukraine for defence procurement under the €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan. The payment covers drones and missiles and will help Ukraine defend its territory and skies against Russia’s ongoing aggression.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the Commission: “Today, we will disburse €3.3 billion to help procure drones and missiles under the Ukraine Support Loan. Europe will continue to deliver the support Ukraine needs to defend its people and its territory.”

This is the fourth payment made to Ukraine under the Ukraine Support Loan’s defence window. With this disbursement, the Commission will have paid nearly €15 billion to Ukraine this year, covering both defence and broader support. The Ukraine Support Loan includes €30 billion for budgetary aid and €60 billion for defence across 2026-2027.

Ukraine’s military edge depends on the rapid availability of critical products in the required quantities and within very short timeframes. Accelerating EU deliveries through destocking, reprioritising orders and ramping up the production remains crucial.

As announced by President von der Leyen in the State of the Union speech and yesterday’s call with President Zelenskyy, the Commission is ready to use 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, building on the existing Freya anti-ballistic system. It would combine Ukraine’s battlefield experience with Europe’s industrial and technological strength.

Next steps

Further payments will follow in line with the rules set out in the Ukraine Support Loan Regulation.

Next week, President von der Leyen will attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where she will call for increased support for Ukraine, conveying the message that: “Europe is stepping up. Now others must step up their support too.”

Background

Today’s disbursement follows the Commission decision on 11 September to approve €6.1 billion for Ukraine’s air and missiles defence and other defence needs, including PAC-3 missiles for Patriot systems. In February 2026, the European Parliament and the Council adopted Regulation (EU) 2026/467, establishing the Ukraine Support Loan, providing up to €90 billion in support to Ukraine. This support has two complementary components: strengthening Ukraine’s defence capabilities and defence industrial capacities, and support to maintain essential state functions, public services and economic resilience.

Following Ukraine’s submission of its Financing Strategy in March 2026, the Council adopted an implementing decision on 23 April 2026, allocating up to €45 billion for 2026. This includes €16.7 billion in budget support, split equally between the Ukraine Facility and Macro Financial Assistance, with each amounting to up to €8.35 billion, and €28.3 billion for defence industrial capacities.

The defence component focuses on reconstructing and modernising Ukraine’s defence technological and industrial base, while supporting its gradual integration into the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base.

All funding decisions respond to Ukraine’s evolving needs and are subject to agreed conditions and monitoring. Since 2022, the EU and its Member States have provided €224.5 billion in overall support to Ukraine, including €3.8 billion from the proceeds of immobilised Russian assets.

For more information

Ukraine Support Loan

Regulation (EU) 2026/467 – Ukraine Support Loan for 2026 and 2027

Commission implementing decision validating the use of derogations for drones in Ukraine

Macro-Financial Assistance

Macro-Financial Assistance to Ukraine

Ukraine Facility 

Factsheet – EU solidarity with Ukraine

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