EU to Disburse €3.3 Billion for Ukrainian Missiles and Drones
The EU will release €3.3 billion to Ukraine for missile and drone procurement as Brussels moves toward deeper defense-industrial cooperation with Kyiv.
The European Union will disburse €3.3 billion to Ukraine on Friday for the procurement of missiles and drones, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced following a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The funding comes as Ukraine continues to face large-scale Russian missile and drone attacks and seeks additional financing for air defense, long-range weapons and unmanned systems.
Von der Leyen announced the payment shortly after a new Russian barrage struck Kyiv and several other Ukrainian regions. More than 20 people were injured in attacks across the country, while Poland scrambled military aircraft as strikes approached NATO territory.
EU and Ukraine look toward joint defense projects
The latest financing comes alongside plans for deeper cooperation between the European and Ukrainian defense industries.
Zelenskyy said after the call that an initiative to use remaining funds under the EU's SAFE defense financing instrument for new joint Ukrainian-European defense projects was both timely and necessary.
According to the Ukrainian president, the two sides also discussed financing for Ukraine's defense requirements and agreed to continue the talks when they meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Von der Leyen has also indicated that Brussels wants to combine Ukraine's battlefield experience and rapid defense innovation with Europe's industrial and technological capacity as the EU expands its own defense production base.
The €3.3 billion payment is particularly significant for Ukraine's missile and drone procurement, two categories that have become increasingly central to the war as both sides expand the use of long-range strike systems, interceptors and unmanned platforms.
The announcement also comes as European governments increasingly shift defense spending toward ammunition, missiles, air defense and scalable unmanned systems, reflecting lessons from the high consumption rates seen in Ukraine.
