EU clears €6.1 billion from Ukraine loan for drones and Patriot missiles
The European Commission has approved €6.1 billion from its support loan for Ukraine to purchase Ukrainian-made drones and air defense missiles, including U.S.-made PAC-3 interceptors for Patriot systems.
The decision creates exemptions from the EU's standard procurement rules that had restricted Ukraine's ability to use the funding to buy weapons produced outside the bloc, EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said Friday.
“This decision formally allows Ukraine to purchase PAC-3 missiles for Patriot systems,” Kubilius said.
The package includes five exemptions from procurement rules. Three cover Ukrainian-made drones and components whose cost exceeds existing limits, while two allow purchases of U.S.-made equipment, including PAC-3 missiles, through mechanisms such as NATO-coordinated joint procurement.
The €6.1 billion comes from the EU's €90 billion support loan for Ukraine for 2026 and 2027. According to Kubilius, the latest decision completes the allocation of all €28.3 billion earmarked for Ukraine's defense needs from the loan this year.
Ukraine has faced a shortage of missiles capable of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier that Ukraine had received three times fewer such interceptors this year than in 2025, with partners citing fighting in the Middle East as the reason for reduced supplies.
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