EU loan will allow purchase of Patriot missiles for Ukraine, - Stefanishyna
The European Union has released a loan for Ukraine, enabling the purchase of PAC-3 missiles for the Patriot air defense systems.
According to Censor.NET, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States, Olha Stefanishyna, made this statement in a comment to Suspilne.
She noted that a lack of funding was one of the obstacles preventing the U.S. Department of Defense (the Pentagon) from making a decision regarding these missiles. According to Stefanyishyna, Ukraine’s partners are currently coordinating efforts to mobilize resources for the purchase of PAC-3 systems.
"A decision has already been made to allocate a loan of 90 billion [euros]. This means that certain funds will be made available to finance this specific initiative concerning the PAC-3," the diplomat said.
According to her, this involves a large-scale procurement initiative launched by Ukraine.
Reasons for delays and current status
Stefanyishyna explained that the decision had not been made earlier due to global geopolitical factors, particularly the escalation of tensions in the Middle East, which affected the availability of funding.
At the same time, there is now an opportunity to "at least establish a long-term commitment," since the Pentagon makes the final decisions regarding the sale of PAC-3 systems.
The majority of the preferential loan—approximately 60 billion euros—is earmarked for Ukraine’s defense needs:
- The total amount will be available during 2026–2027;
- The loan is to be repaid once Ukraine receives reparations from Russia.
What happened before?
EU ambassadors have launched a written procedure to approve a €90 billion loan for Ukraine and the 20th package of EU sanctions against Russia, which will run until April 23.
On April 23, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the European Union had released a €90 billion loan for Ukraine and imposed a 20th round of sanctions against Russia.
