EU Countries Supported Expediting The Disbursement Of A Loan To Ukraine
- 1.09.2026, 22:28
We're talking about 90 billion euros.
Many European Union countries supported Ukraine’s request to receive an advance on part of the 90 billion euro two-year EU loan, which was scheduled for 2027. This was announced by Helen McEntire, Ireland’s Minister of Defense and President of the Council of the EU, following an informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Wicklow, Ireland, on Monday, September 1, in response to a question from a DW.
“I truly believe that a significant number of member states supported this request,” McEntire said. She emphasized, however, that ministers do not make formal decisions at informal meetings.
According to McEntire, Ukraine demonstrated to the ministers that there is currently a shortfall and an urgent need for additional funding. She linked the need to expedite payments, in particular, to Ukraine’s preparations for winter and the intensified Russian attacks on critical infrastructure and civilian targets.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara, who participated in the meeting via video conference, told his colleagues that 75 percent of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure has already come under attack. According to McEntire, Russia is thus seeking to exert pressure on the civilian population ahead of the cold weather.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Kyiv needs an additional 27 billion euros to fund its defense and proposed using, as early as 2026, a portion of the EU loan funds earmarked for 2027. On August 25, the European Commission reported that it had not yet received an official request for the accelerated disbursement of these funds, but did not rule out such a possibility.
The EU loan to Ukraine is scheduled for 2026 and 2027 and is divided roughly equally between the two years. Approximately 45 billion euros are earmarked for 2026, of which about 28 billion are intended for Ukraine’s defense needs, and about 17 billion are intended to support the Ukrainian state budget. A roughly similar funding structure is planned for 2027.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas stated on September 1 that, to date, 8.47 billion euros of the funds earmarked for Ukraine’s defense needs have been transferred. Earlier, the European Commission reported that it had already approved lists of defense products worth 22 billion euros out of the 28 billion euros allocated for 2026.
The head of European diplomacy also clarified that accelerating the disbursements was discussed against the backdrop that the funding provided under the loan does not cover all of Ukraine’s needs. According to her, this is why, in addition to the loan funds, there remains a need for additional bilateral support from EU countries and Ukraine’s other partners.