The European Commission announced on Tuesday 30 June that it had started disbursing €3.9 billion for the procurement of drones under the €90 billion loan for Ukraine.
According to the Commission, these funds are the first advance payment of the first tranche of around €6 billion earmarked for the procurement of drones, and further disbursements will be made in the coming days until the first drone tranche is fully covered, in line with Ukraine’s payment requests (see EUROPE 13863/15).
Asked why Ukraine had so far received only €3.9 billion, and not €6 billion, Commission spokesperson Balazs Ujvari explained that the EU could make disbursements only on the basis of signed contracts. “For the time being, from what we understand, Ukraine has secured contracts worth €5 billion for its defence, which in a way sets the limit. Out of this €5 billion, we have already disbursed €3.9 billion. Once we have reviewed the remaining contracts, we will be able to close the gap between €3.9 billion and €5 billion,” he explained.
Beyond drones, the next disbursements are expected to cover ammunition, missiles and air defence systems.
Under the €90 billion loan for Ukraine, €60 billion is devoted to defence support for 2026 (€28.3 billion) and 2027.
On 25 June, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced the disbursement of €3.2 billion to Ukraine, the first tranche of the loan under the dedicated macrofinancial assistance programme (see EUROPE 13896/19). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)