European Commission initiated allocation of 45 billion euros to Ukraine for 2026. Part of funds will be directed to drones
The European Commission has approved a proposal to allocate 45 billion euros in aid to Ukraine for 2026.
This amount will become part of the previously agreed overall financing package for Ukraine worth 90 billion euros, calculated for two years, the European Commission's website reports.
In particular, the proposal determines the distribution among the directions of the funds' use:
- 16.7 billion euros are proposed to be directed to budget support;
- 28.3 billion euros will be allocated to support Ukraine's defense-industrial potential.
At the same time, the European Commission's proposal envisions that the EU will allow financial aid funds to be directed for the procurement of drones. In the coming months, this permission will be extended to other defense products, including missiles and ammunition.
"We will implement the decision on the 90-billion-euro loan to Ukraine. Today we are taking the necessary preparatory measures to mobilize this year's budget and procure defense equipment, focusing on the advanced Ukrainian drone industry. By doing this, we are sending a clear signal: the Commission is ready to move forward," noted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The European Commission clarified that this draft implementing decision on approving aid to Ukraine for 2026 still needs to be approved by the EU Council. After that, EU member states must resolve the issue of distributing their participation within the framework of the Loan in Support of Ukraine for 2026, in particular through the Ukraine Facility, macro-financial assistance, and defense procurement.
After the EU Council approves the decision, the European Commission will be able to begin borrowing funds for Ukraine on financial markets.
"The remaining legal and operational arrangements necessary for making the first disbursements and initiating procurement will be finalized by the Commission, Ukraine, and the Member States," the statement says.
At the same time, the European Commission emphasized that, as with other EU financial support, the allocation of funds will entail the fulfillment of a number of conditions, particularly regarding the rule of law, anti-corruption efforts, and the protection of EU financial interests.
In total, since the beginning of the full-scale war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the EU and its member states have provided Ukraine with total support amounting to 195 billion euros, including 3.7 billion euros in profits from frozen Russian assets.
According to IMF estimates, the new 90-billion-euro aid package will cover two-thirds of Ukraine's total financing needs for 2026 and 2027. At the same time, covering the remaining needs requires continuous and coordinated support from international partners, including the timely fulfillment of G7 commitments for 2026 and beyond, particularly within the framework of the G7 ERA loan initiative.
As reported, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Taras Kachka previously stated that it would be easier to definitively unblock the allocation of the 90-billion-euro EU loan for Ukraine after the parliamentary elections in Hungary, scheduled for April 12.
However, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico had previously stated that his country was prepared to block the €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine, following Hungary’s lead, if Ukraine did not resume Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline.
