European Commission: Kyiv has not asked EU for early disbursement to cover €27bn defence budget shortfall

Ukraine has not yet formally requested the European Commission to provide part of the €90 billion loan scheduled for 2027 ahead of time in 2026 to cover a €27 billion shortfall in its defence budget.

Source: European Pravda's correspondent, citing the European Commission's chief spokesperson, Paula Pinho

Details: The Ukrainian authorities have not yet requested early disbursement of part of the €90 billion loan to cover the €27 billion defence budget shortfall.

"We haven't received such requests formally," Pinho said.

She noted that the EU has been approving and making payments under its €90 billion loan at a "very, very high speed rate" and has not yet disbursed all the funds earmarked for 2026 – a situation in which front-loading could potentially be considered.

European Commission spokesperson Balazs Ujvari said: "We have not been told in bilateral terms officially yet that there is this intention to front-load the funding. That's why we are focused right now on the plans that we've put in place. But of course, this is an issue area where there are continuous exchanges between us and Ukraine. [...] And of course, we stand ready to accommodate requests to the largest extent possible."

As previously reported, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a Coalition of the Willing meeting in Kyiv on 24 August that Ukraine faces a €27 billion defence budget shortfall in 2026, and that one of the first options for plugging the gap would be early disbursement of part of the EU's €90 billion loan currently scheduled for 2027.

Background:

• As European Pravda reported, on 24 August, the European Commission approved €6.1 billion in defence procurement for Ukraine as part of the EU's €90 billion loan.
• European Pravda has also reported that the EU is expected to disburse around €20 billion to Ukraine by the end of 2026, with new tranches potentially arriving in the coming weeks.
• On 30 July, the Council of the EU approved an updated reform plan under the Ukraine Facility, which will enable Ukraine to receive €8.3 billion in 2026 to cover budgetary needs.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon to help us keep reporting!