EU countries have approved the United Kingdom’s participation in the EU’s Ukraine support loan, a €90 billion framework designed to help cover Ukraine’s most urgent needs in 2026 and 2027 as it fights Russia’s invasion.
The decision means Ukraine can use loan financing under the scheme to procure defence products made by UK-based industries, in addition to suppliers already eligible under the existing framework covering EU and EEA-EFTA countries and other approved third countries, the Council of the EU informed on Wednesday.
The loan framework makes €60 billion available for Ukraine to invest in defence industrial capacity, including procurement of defence products, and €30 billion is allocated as direct economic and budgetary support.
Irish foreign minister Helen McEntee said the approval reflected “the EU and the UK’s shared commitment to support Ukraine as long as it takes” and that UK participation would allow Ukraine to procure from UK defence manufacturers.
How the UK qualifies and what happens next
UK participation is possible because it meets three conditions set out in the regulation for third-country involvement, including committing to a “fair and proportionate” financial contribution to borrowing costs, entering into a security and defence partnership with the EU, and already providing significant financial and military support to Ukraine, the Council said.
A contribution agreement between the EU and the UK was signed on 13 July.
The Council is due to formally adopt the UK’s participation in the coming days through a written procedure, with the decision entering into force on the day it is published in the EU’s official journal.
€8.1 billion has already been disbursed under the framework — including €3.2 billion in budgetary assistance and nearly €4.9 billion for defence — and the European Commission is expected to disburse €28.3 billion in 2026 from the €60 billion defence package.
