BRUSSELS (Dispatches) - The European Commission on Wednesday disbursed €2.86 billion ($3.2 billion) to Ukraine to fund drones, air defense systems, missiles, and other urgent military needs amid continued attacks.
The funding was provided under the defense component of the EU’s €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan, the EU Commission said in a statement.
The money will be used to procure drones, air defense systems, missiles, radars, electronic warfare systems, and ammunition.
“ Russia continues to escalate its aerial attacks - cruelly targeting Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure. Europe’s steadfast support matters more than ever to help Ukraine protect its skies and save lives,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
The €90 billion loan package for 2026-2027 includes €60 billion earmarked for defense and €30 billion for budgetary assistance.
The commission said €28.3 billion was planned for disbursement in 2026 to strengthen Ukraine’s defense industrial capacity, with further payments under the defense component expected in the coming weeks.
It added that Ukraine still had €29.64 billion in financial support available for the remainder of 2026.
Of that amount, €25.24 billion is available under the Ukraine Support Loan, including €12.54 billion for defense industrial capacity and €12.7 billion in budget support.
Since 2022, the EU and its member states have provided €231.5 billion in overall support to Ukraine, including €3.8 billion generated from proceeds of immobilized Russian assets, according to the commission.
The European Commission also allocated €168.2 million to eight projects aimed at boosting Europe’s defense production capacity under the European Defense Industry Program.
The projects are expected to mobilize €1.26 billion in industrial investments to accelerate and expand the production of energetic components used in missiles, drones, and ammunition, according to a statement.
The projects, which will become operational from 2027, are expected to reduce manufacturing times by up to 90% and enable annual production of more than 20,000 tons of energetic materials, 3,500 drone and missile propulsion systems, 200,000 loitering munition warheads, and 60 million rounds of ammunition.
The investments will cover 17 production sites across 14 member states and Norway, while also strengthening their protection against growing physical and cyber threats.