The European Commission has begun paying out €3.9 billion to Ukraine for drone procurement under a wider €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan.
The €3.9 billion is the first payment under a first tranche of around €6 billion earmarked for drones, with further payments due in the coming days until the tranche is fully covered, in line with Ukraine’s payment requests, the Commission announced on Tuesday.
The move follows a separate €3.2 billion instalment disbursed to Ukraine on 25 June under a dedicated Macro-Financial Assistance programme.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was releasing a first tranche of €3.9 billion for “advanced drone technology” and that “more will follow.”
How the €90 billion loan is structured
The Ukraine Support Loan provides €30 billion for budgetary aid and €60 billion for defence support across 2026 and 2027, the Commission said.
In 2026, €28.3 billion of the €60 billion defence package is set to be disbursed to support Ukraine’s defence industrial capacity.
The Commission said it is checking the contracts submitted to support the disbursement, adding that the checks are meant to ensure the financial assistance is used for procurement agreed with the Commission and EU member states.
Future disbursements are expected to extend beyond drones to include ammunition, missiles and air defence systems.
