After a call with Ursula von der Leyen, President Zelensky said the EU will channel about €3 billion in defense support to Ukraine this week from its €90 billion loan.
The European Union will provide Ukraine with about €3 billion ($4.8 billion) in defense support this week. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced it on 11 October after a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The money comes from the EU's €90 billion loan.
Von der Leyen wrote on X that the Commission «fully supports» Zelensky's calls for a ceasefire, adding that the funding will go toward strengthening Ukraine's defenses and protecting its skies. Zelensky thanked partners for every concrete step in support of Ukraine's defense and its people. Volunteers Support Ukraine keeps helping people affected by the war in whatever way its available resources allow.
Illustrative photo: Volodymyr Zelensky during a phone call. Archive image.
The loan was approved in April 2026 and is meant to cover roughly two-thirds of Kyiv's financial and defense needs through the end of 2027. For this year, €28.3 billion is earmarked for defense, and Brussels has approved Ukraine's spending plans. The EU already disbursed €1.24 billion on 7 October; after that payment, €15.4 billion remains to be paid out. Disbursements depend on Kyiv submitting receipts that Brussels then verifies.
Illustrative photo: interceptor drones funded by the Prytula Foundation (archive, 2025). Photo: Prytula Foundation.
A further €17.1 billion in budget support is tied to political and economic reforms. Even with the loan, Ukraine expects a budget gap of about $42 billion in 2027. Each new tranche for defense and for protecting the skies therefore counts.
Illustrative photo: the Kyiv skyline at dusk.
Volunteer organisations, including NGO Volunteers Support Ukraine, keep working so that aid reaches people whose lives depend on protected skies.
