The European Union has released €3.47 billion ($4 billion) to Ukraine to help finance the purchase of drones, missiles, air defence systems and Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets, the European Commission has announced.
The payment forms part of the €90 billion ($103 billion) Ukraine Support Loan approved by the bloc earlier this year. The loan is part of a wider package allocating roughly €60 billion to defence procurement and €30 billion to direct budget support for Kyiv.
It follows two earlier payments: a €3.2 billion ($3.67 billion) instalment on 25 June to support Ukraine's general government financing, and €3.9 billion ($4.48 billion) transferred on 30 June specifically for drone procurement.
A European Commission spokesperson told reporters that a further €1.1 billion ($1.26 billion) has been allocated to other defence procurement, bringing total disbursements for defence purposes to €8.5 billion ($9.75 billion) so far. The Commission expects to transfer €28 billion ($32.13 billion) for defence by the end of the year.
The latest payments come amid a broader push to deepen EU-Ukraine defence-industrial ties.
In mid-July, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen travelled to Kyiv, where she and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a new EU-Ukraine Defence Industrial Partnership alongside a dedicated 'Drone Deal', aimed at integrating Ukrainian battlefield expertise with European industrial capacity.
The visit also included a separate €1 billion ($1.15 billion) disbursement for drone capabilities. Since then, further funding tranches have been unlocked under the same €90 billion ($103 billion) loan and the EU's SAFE defence loans programme, covering additional drone systems, deep-strike missiles and the acquisition of Gripen fighter jets.
The €90 billion ($103 billion) loan was politically stalled in early 2026 because of a Hungarian veto before securing the backing of member states later in the year, clearing the way for the accelerated pace of disbursements now under way.
Read more about the Russia-Ukraine conflict:
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source wh...
Central Asia’s economy has surpassed $543 billion, driven by Kazakhstan’s economic weight, strong exports and foreign investment, while growing tr...
The United Nations refugee agency is planning a settlement and carpet-weaving workshop for Afghan returnees in Kabul as the country grapples with larg...
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Iran to pay compensation for decades of deaths and damage, adding a new demand to peace talks as Tehran seeks compensation and sanctions relief before reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
A criminal court in Damascus has sentenced former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA.
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russia is preparing to deploy additional North Korean forces on its territory and has received more ballistic missiles from Pyongyang, arguing that their growing military cooperation poses a threat beyond Ukraine.
Millions of people across Spain and Iceland are preparing on Wednesday to witness a rare total solar eclipse, when the moon will pass directly between Earth and the Sun, briefly turning daylight into darkness along a narrow path.
Ukraine has agreed to refrain from targeting certain tankers using Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk following a request from U.S. Vice President JD Vance, the Financial Times reported, although Kyiv has continued strikes on Russian targets at the port.
Taiwan has criticised a planned joint naval exercise involving China and Indonesia near its eastern waters, describing it as a politically charged move designed to strengthen Beijing's claims over areas surrounding the island.
An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk killed an eight-year-old child, injured others and damaged residential buildings, port infrastructure and grain facilities, Russian officials and industry sources said on Wednesday.
Romanian military divers have destroyed two Gerbera-type drones found drifting near the Neptun Deep offshore gas development in the country’s Black Sea exclusive economic zone.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment