EU approves additional $7B for Ukraine defense, including drones, Patriot missiles

The European Commission on Friday approved an additional €6.1 billion ($7.1 billion) for Ukraine to procure defense products, including air and missile defense systems, ammunition, drones and electronic warfare equipment.

The funding is aimed at strengthening Ukraine's ability to counter intensified Russian ballistic missile and drone attacks.

“Today, we have approved €6.1 billion to help Ukraine procure different defence products in the field of air and missile defence, ammunition, drones and electronic warfare,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on US social media company X.

“With this approval, Ukraine can now also purchase the Patriot equipment it needs to better protect its skies from Russia’s indiscriminate attacks,” she added.

The package will finance purchases from both EU and Ukrainian defense companies and allow Kyiv to procure PAC-3 missiles for Patriot air defense systems.

The funding comes under the EU's €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan for 2026-2027, of which €60 billion is earmarked for defense and €30 billion for budgetary assistance.

With Friday's decision, the €28.3 billion allocated for Ukraine's defense support in 2026 has been fully assigned, covering specific equipment, suppliers, quantities and implementation timelines.

The bloc has already disbursed €8.35 billion in defense funding for Ukraine this year.

The announcement came as the EU and Ukraine also held the first board meeting of a new defense industry initiative aimed at jointly developing drone and counter-drone technologies.

EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said the initiative seeks to strengthen Europe's drone capabilities by drawing on Ukraine's battlefield experience.

Kubilius said Europe must learn from Ukraine not only about drone technology and production but also about accelerating manufacturing processes and rapidly scaling up production capacity.

The EU currently produces around 1.5 million drones annually, compared with roughly 10 million each in Ukraine and Russia, he said.

Europe should be prepared to increase its production to 10 million drones or more annually in the event of a crisis or war, Kubilius added.

The initiative's board includes representatives from nine EU member states and nine Ukrainian companies, selected from around 400 applications.

Its priorities include accelerating joint ventures between EU and Ukrainian companies, securing supply chains, expanding testing capabilities and speeding up research, development and procurement.

Kubilius said the initiative should go beyond being a consultation platform, with the first concrete results expected by the end of the year.